None of that alters the fact we have some glaring holes that need upgrading, same way Conte will be upgrading positions in his squad next summer even after winning the title.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Transfer Speculation
- Thread starter Classical Mechanic
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None of that alters the fact we have some glaring holes that need upgrading, same way Conte will be upgrading positions in his squad next summer even after winning the title.
Yes and the "urgent" ones should be a LB, DM and someone who can help with the goalscoring, either an AM or a F. A CB only if one of the best are available.
The season after, probably a GK (when/if de Gea leaves), RB and ST.
I think CB is equally as important as those 3 positions, and our lack of squad depth in midfield is also an issue. Then striker depends on what happens with Ibrahimovic, I'm not certain he will stay or that it's what is best for this team's development.
Conversely, Conte didn't much upgrading when he came to Chelsea. Most of his players were Mourinho's which drives home my point. You can create a shopping list of whichever players you want at whichever positions you want, but there are no guarantees that it will improve you. What will definitely improve us is Mourinho coaching us to play at a higher level.
He's strained the absolute maximum out of this squad and we are still struggling to get to 4th, Conte simply had a Diego Costa and Hazard that actually play for him, something they stopped doing for Jose, that was like two world class new additions on top of the CB, LWB and CM he needed. He added where they had the holes and will be able to strengthen again. We are patched over at #9, have no starting LB and no holding midfielder, hell we are a team with an £89M player that we don't have the pieces to get the best out of, that needs addressing. I find it odd that you are so keen to sign a £35M RB when we have arguably the best RB in the league, yet we are talking about coaching as the answer to our deficiences.
I was actually thinking that it would be good for the teams development if Ibrahimovic stayed. Better not to rush to find a replacement, since Lukaku seems to be the only one available at the moment. And frankly, if Ibra can repeat what he has done this season he's a better choice. I was actually thinking that if he doesn't decline physically, he should be better next season - first season is a bit more difficult and he's been a bit inconsistent at times - so room for improvement. Strange use of words, when mentioning a 35 year old player.
I was actually thinking that it would be good for the teams development if Ibrahimovic stayed. Better not to rush to find a replacement, since Lukaku seems to be the only one available at the moment. And frankly, if Ibra can repeat what he has done this season he's a better choice. I was actually thinking that if he doesn't decline physically, he should be better next season - first season is a bit more difficult and he's been a bit inconsistent at times - so room for improvement. Strange use of words, when mentioning a 35 year old player.
He'll be better next year for sure as not only will he be more comfortable in his surroundings, he'll have better players around him.
True, let's hope it's not wishful thinking from our side and that he still has the right hunger to show that age is just a number...
I don't think he has at all. Look at for example, Martial and Rashford not performing up to their standards of last year, and Memphis and Schneiderlin didn't work out at all, despite being rated as very promising when we bought them. In a nutshell, throwing money at players as if it is going to magically solve a coaching, tactical, and psychological deficiency that exists within the squad, isn't guaranteed to accomplish much. Just look at City - they brought in the world's most successful manager over the past decade along with a half dozen signings including Stones, Sane, Gundogan, Jesus, Nolito, and Bravo and have feck all to show for it. We are in the same category after Ibra, Mkhi, and Pogba. Both clubs have to improve their coaching and tactics before haphazardly flinging cash at the transfer market as if that is somehow guaranteed to fix what is basically an internal problem.
I was actually thinking that it would be good for the teams development if Ibrahimovic stayed. Better not to rush to find a replacement, since Lukaku seems to be the only one available at the moment. And frankly, if Ibra can repeat what he has done this season he's a better choice. I was actually thinking that if he doesn't decline physically, he should be better next season - first season is a bit more difficult and he's been a bit inconsistent at times - so room for improvement. Strange use of words, when mentioning a 35 year old player.
Going into the season relying on a 36 year old striker who hogs the play and lacks in mobility will hinder any league challenge IMO. I'd like to see us move towards building an attacking unit rather than just Zlatan being the sole focus and everyone else catering their games to his whims.
Bayern, Real and Barca are the examples we should be looking at, they don't carry dreck and pray that a bit of coaching will turn over miracles. Chelsea aren't blitzing the PL because of coaching, it's the 5 key additions that Conte got to realize his vision that is the big reason. You cite City but to me their issue wasn't buying, it was bad buying. I look at where we are clearly short (CB/LB/DM/FW) and coaching isn't going to solve those 4 pieces in the squad that need sorting. Last season Jose added 4 to the team where we were short, that was half a rebuild and even then one was only a stop-gap, this summer he should be looking to upgrade the other parts that need it, we've accumulated a lot of mediocrity post Fergie and Jose is weeding through it while also having to replace top mainstays like Rooney and Carrick.
You can say that all you want, but the fact remains there is no guarantee that buying 5 or 6 players of the moment will fix our problems. Bayern, Barca, and Madrid were already well established with feckloads of great players and recently won trophies where its hard to make a case their transfers caused them to be successful. Chelsea only have three prominent players who they brought in, who are making a contribution to their league run, which is still built around a spine of players there when Mourinho was in charge.
Real, Barca and Bayern have never let their squads degrade to where we allowed ours to, so we are having to regain a standard that we then need to maintain, something they have done. Conte had a spine of top drawer players, we didn't have the same, Conte was starting from a higher point than Jose was here and made his key additions, we are already a window behind in terms of where Jose was starting from. You keep saying 6, I never said 6 starters, you wanted 3, one of which would be a needless £35M replacement for arguably our most consistent top level performer this season, all while neglecting LB to a constant rotation of mediocrity and resting the season again on a striker in his mid 30's. The team is short of a CB that can act as a rudder for the back 4, a top class LB that will start 90% of the time like Tony on the other flank, a holding CM and another forward, preferably two if we get a new #9. These aren't frivolous buys IMO, they are just what is needed to turn this team into a title challenger rather than top 4 scrambler.
Aren't you exaggerating a bit? Reading this makes me feel that you just don't like the player and overly focus on a few things. It may not be the case, just the feeling I get.
But the problem is that there aren't that many alternatives. Other than Lukaku or Rashford taking over, who are these strikers that can do a better job than Ibrahimovic and are available?
Just a serious question, hope I've not "offended" you or something like that - some are sensitive
. Just curious on how you would take care of Mourinho's striker situation if it were up to you.Have to log out now, have a good one!
Ok, so why bring them up if they are irrelevant to us and our current predicament ?
As for Chelsea - they were great two seasons ago and not so great with the same players last year. That shows how important the manager's ability to get players to punch above their weight is, and conversely how it can work oppositely if the squad solidarity isn't there. The players are only half of the equation - the other half is the manager's ability to create a winning psychology across the squad - See Leicester last year and this year. See Mourinho at Porto and at Chelsea two years ago and last year. Mostly the same players, completely different results that vacillated from winning trophies to sacking the manager.
Finally, I agree with your last bit. I don't mind buying players and always play along with the "who should we buy" threads in the transfer forum. But I'm under no illusion that buying 3, 4, of 5 new players will improve us in the absence of a winning mentality, which is the responsibility of Mourinho and staff to instill.
Aren't you exaggerating a bit? Reading this makes me feel that you just don't like the player and overly focus on a few things. It may not be the case, just the feeling I get.
But the problem is that there aren't that many alternatives. Other than Lukaku or Rashford taking over, who are these strikers that can do a better job than Ibrahimovic and are available?
Just a serious question, hope I've not "offended" you or something like that - some are sensitive
Have to log out now, have a good one!
Not offended mate, if you look at Ibra's thread you'll see I've been mostly full of praise for him this season, but I do think this team is often lacking any pressure centrally on opposition CB's and no threat in behind which allows teams to press up onto our midfield.
I think a striker who spends less time wanting to be a #10 and more time making runs and pressing CB's would be advantageous throughout the attack, including for Pogba. As for who, I know he wants Madrid but Auba can't be ruled out if they don't go for him as he will move this summer, and I think Belotti from Torino is the kind of all action, work his socks off striker with aerial and physical presence that would serve us well. There's also Icardi who I don't care for but fits the bill.
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I'm bringing them up because they are who we should be aiming to be on par with, not Leicester or any PL team, we should be aiming to be above them and on par with the elite of Europe, and to do that we will need better class of player as at the end of the day they are where they are because they have the best talents in world football scattered throughout their team.
I think Jose has the mentality right with this team, we have shown fight and grit and a willingness to dig in, he's mined that aspect out of this bunch, but now he needs extra quality to take it from a scrappy top 4 contender to title contender. Motivating Hazard, Costa and Matic gets you 2 world class players and a top class DM, that's a different ball park to motivasting the likes of Jones.
He has the mentality in place IMO, you only have to look at how few times we have been beaten to see that, but that needs to be married to the kind of quality that will turn the draws into wins and that isn't just about adding goals, it's the other parts of the team that couldn't hold onto the wins against Everton and Arsenal this season. So the mental side is there, but he is lacking the players to see that mentality through.
Thanks for your explanation and I can't argue with those points, they are valid. Ibrahimovic offers a lot but the type of striker you'd prefer has also a lot to offer so I wouldn't mind a change if the other players would improve. But I do however feel that Ibrahimovic has "underperformed" a bit, much do to him playing a bit too much and it being his first season - takes time to understand your teammates movements and for them to learn hos movements (actually more difficult, since Ibra has a very special way of playing). So I hope that if he doesn't decline physically (due to age) I'd assume that he'll be better next season - add to this a few new quality players as well.
Agree with you about Aubameyang, but it feels almost like an impossible move. Would suit this team but he's constantly mentioned Madrid so he'll probably wait for them - at least 1 or 2 seasons, maybe could come if he feels a move will never happen - but Real Madrid are likely going to buy 1 or 2 "big names" so he could be one. I actually have a strange feeling that PSG could try to get him.
I'm not that convinced of Belotti. He has "the PL style of play" but I'm not sure if he's ready for a top club just yet. This is his first "real" impressive season and I'm not sure if he can do this every season (but I hope so). I'd be a bit against an Icardi move.
One thing is certain - Mourinho can be trusted in this matter. Who ever he decides to bring in as a replacement for Ibrahimovic (whenever he leaves) he'll be really good.
I read that article and it doesn't really say anything. It is all speculation. It does mention though that rumours say that Zlatan has told United that his ambition is to atleast win PML and for him to sign a new contract he wants United to assure him that they will make a huge effort to do so ( I'm guessing transfer wise).
But he knows that for him to win PML he might have to come to terms with him staying here for 2 years.
Ibra getting better next season would be a stretch IMO, the other problem I think is that I see the idea of buying a supllemental goal suppy to go with Ibra and replace him the season after, but I think the way the attack has to be catered solely to him neuters the games of those around him, like how Tevez and Rooney sacrificed their games to get the best from Ronaldo, and that's ok with a prime age talent but not a great idea with a 36 year old. I also think Griezmann might struggle with Ibra, as @JPRouve pointed out the other day he thrives when the ball is moved quickly in the final 3rd, where as Ibra likes to hang onto it and try to dictate the tempo of the attack.
I think Aubameyang will move one way or another this summer, I reckon at his age this is the right time to move for that big money contract, as mercenary as that sounds, which might well put PSG in the drivers seat
I totally get where you are coming from on Belotti, he's certainly a riskier proposition, I just think his attributes would excel in our team, but not for the price the Torino president seems to think he can get.
I agree, Ipretty much trust Jose on #9's and CB's, whether it's this summer or next I think Jose will get in the top long term #9 we need.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has given the strongest hint yet that he will stay at Manchester United for another season.
The Swedish veteran has an option of a further 12-month contract after he joined United on a free from Paris St Germain last summer.
And it looks like he could take up that option after he confirmed he "never leaves a job unfinished."
Ibrahimovic has won league titles in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and France so could stay in Manchester to add the Premier League to that long list next season.
Speaking about his time at United he said: “I enjoy. I’m a person when I go into something I put my head 200 per cent, and I do what I’m good at. I go in, I go for the kill and I go out.
"And when I go out there is no complaints, that’s what I do. I never leave a job unfinished.
"I always go in, do my job, and in the way that is a fair play, a fair deal, that is what I do.”
Ibrahimovic has been linked with a move away to the MLS or back to Italy in the summer but Jose Mourinho has already confirmed that he wants the 35-year-old to stay at the club next season.
Speaking at an event for his range of Zlatan fragrances Ibrahimovic confirmed that talks were ongoing about his future, he said: "Let’s see what happens, we are talking.
“I have an option for another year, I want to do great as long as I’m here, so let us see, there is a lot of time.”
And Ibrahimovic had plenty of praise for his boss who he described as "perfect" for the club.
He added: “I’m enjoying being at a a fantastic club, without doubts, one of the biggest clubs in the world with a great coach. I know him before, he’s a winner, he’s the perfect coach for this club.
"Being a Manchester United player, I don’t know how many people have that possibility but I am a Man United player, people wanted me here, I chose the club, I chose the best English club, that’s the way it works.”
Zlatan has teamed up with Cheshire-based Mankind for the distribution of his two current fragrances in the UK, his debut parfum called Zlatan which launched in 2015, and the most recent, called Supreme, just before Christmas.
He said: "My team and I have done a fantastic job. We have gathered the best to create the best."
The Swedish veteran has an option of a further 12-month contract after he joined United on a free from Paris St Germain last summer.
And it looks like he could take up that option after he confirmed he "never leaves a job unfinished."
Ibrahimovic has won league titles in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and France so could stay in Manchester to add the Premier League to that long list next season.
Speaking about his time at United he said: “I enjoy. I’m a person when I go into something I put my head 200 per cent, and I do what I’m good at. I go in, I go for the kill and I go out.
"And when I go out there is no complaints, that’s what I do. I never leave a job unfinished.
"I always go in, do my job, and in the way that is a fair play, a fair deal, that is what I do.”
Ibrahimovic has been linked with a move away to the MLS or back to Italy in the summer but Jose Mourinho has already confirmed that he wants the 35-year-old to stay at the club next season.
Speaking at an event for his range of Zlatan fragrances Ibrahimovic confirmed that talks were ongoing about his future, he said: "Let’s see what happens, we are talking.
“I have an option for another year, I want to do great as long as I’m here, so let us see, there is a lot of time.”
And Ibrahimovic had plenty of praise for his boss who he described as "perfect" for the club.
He added: “I’m enjoying being at a a fantastic club, without doubts, one of the biggest clubs in the world with a great coach. I know him before, he’s a winner, he’s the perfect coach for this club.
"Being a Manchester United player, I don’t know how many people have that possibility but I am a Man United player, people wanted me here, I chose the club, I chose the best English club, that’s the way it works.”
Zlatan has teamed up with Cheshire-based Mankind for the distribution of his two current fragrances in the UK, his debut parfum called Zlatan which launched in 2015, and the most recent, called Supreme, just before Christmas.
He said: "My team and I have done a fantastic job. We have gathered the best to create the best."
God I hope he stays
God I hope he stays
So much that you mentioned him twice in one sentence. Love it!
If true and this happens I'll get Zlatan tattoo on my big toe. He'll be at least worthy of that. What a guy. You can hold me to this
BREAKING: Zlatan @Ibra_official confirms he is in talks with @ManUtd over extending his stay at Old Trafford. More on SSNHQ.
Not sure I get what the talks are about? Its a renewal clause so if both parties want to extend it, what is there to talk about? I'm assuming the whole point of a renewal clause is that salary negotiations don't have to take place?
I think the only thing they’re discussing is Zlatan’s wish to take Martial’s number again.
I'd think Ibra would like to have Rooney's number. Then Martial would get "his" number back. That is if Rooney is going to leave the club.
I believe he is trying to negotiate a 2 year extension...
BREAKING: this was reported yesterday.
Well for "Sky sources" it's breaking in that case.
True.
Can't say I'm particularly enthusiastic about this, I think a lot of the same problems we've had this season will persist with our attack solely catered to a striker that doesn't move very much and hasn't got any pace, he's also a poor fit with everyone's fav Griezmann.
He won't leave just yet, there's still unfinished business left for him here and he's definitely not the type of guy who would let such a thing slide.
Maybe man but the experience and leadership he gives is crucial. Rooney is as good as gone and Carrick could go too. He's a big game player and we need that. I agree that we could use with more pace and more clinical finishing, but Zlatan offers a different dimension to us. I think the main issue is rotation and being subbed when he's not performing, that's more to do with Jose. I would like him used for certain big games and rested for smaller ones, think we need him for another year. We need a bit of stability for a year or two.
I think experience is highly overrated, Spurs have a set of players that have never won anything and are comfortably ahead of of us in the PL, same goes for Dortmund and Monaco who are thriving in the CL. Experience becomes a crutch when it's married to someone that also has negatvie effects on the team. Ibra is a big character but everything is about him not the team, the rest of our attackers play in subservience to him and I think it's part of the reason we struggle against tightly packed teams, we don't operate as an attacking unit, we operate as a single attacking entity. For all the experience we have done nothing for 4 seasons as regards the league, failing to qualify for the CL twice with a third time being a very distinct possibility, I think it's time we freshened up and stopped looking to the past with stop gaps and start building a team as opposed to a showcase for an individual.
Spurs are hardly the best example. They absolutely capitulated last season with no real leaders, and resorted to physical attacks when they couldn't get anything.
We'll be fighting for top 4 yet again next season if he is our main striker and Jose insists on playing him every single minute.