09 Apr 2025 11:26:43
Shappy has written an article entitled, Manchester United's Striker Situation
09 Apr 2025 18:22:19
Agreed. Probably wouldn't move on Hoiljund though.
I think David and Gomes are destined for united.
09 Apr 2025 22:09:05
We could do worse than looking at Ollie Watkins if he’s keen on a move away from Villa.
09 Apr 2025 23:17:32
Games and david would be very good 'free transfers. Will not demand crazy wages and are versatile and have good quality.
I would try to move rasmus on and I'm sure at 35m ish there will be takers.
Zirkzee I'm not so keen to see moved on. I'd like to see him get a 2nd season.
Garnacho 40m and rashford40m will be the ones moved on i think with lindelof 0 sancho 25m ericksen 0 Evans 0 casimero 10m and antony 30m. If rasmus at 35m onana 20m goes there is income of circa 200m with book profit of circa 80m
With any budget already that would safely allow 180m in expenditure comfortably. 8 players including david gomes and the south American lb.
Keeper. Anybody please
Cm ederson
Cb Branthwaite
Am kudos throw in rasmus
Cf oshimen statement signing.
Wouldn't be shocked to see one of deligt or maguire go if an offer came in.
Promote.
10 Apr 2025 00:07:59
Zirkzee and Rasmus are appalling but neither have they had service. So we need a decent no.10 as well as a 9.
Surely there are other options in world football beyond Delap that the people who are paid to do so will be monitoring.
Both David and Gomes make sense and I’d like to think we can get either if not both.
Would love to see Osimhen or another elite striker tear it up but I don’t think he or Gyokeres will happen. Just out of reach IMO.
Success or failure in the Europa will shape our summer, and whoever becomes our no9 is arguably our most important signing in recent years and for those ahead.
10 Apr 2025 01:32:50
Or Spenno we could give the u23 lads a go in attack and make sure we have a better midfield to service them and better defence to provide a stable base.
10 Apr 2025 03:32:09
I'd like Cole Palmer for the 10, but that ain't happening.
10 Apr 2025 05:40:26
I would like anybody in GK other than clown we got
A real striker is crucial and a 2nd striker.
I don’t buy this lack of service thing, yes service ain’t great, but striker does have to have a strikers brain, Rasmus certainly not got it, Zirkee not great but you see difference he made when replacing Rasmus on Sunday…
We will buy a CB De ligt will go before McGuire
1 or 2 decent midfielders…. Ugarte is certainly not the answer
Onana gone
Deligt gone
Rasmus gone
Garnacho gone
Mainoo gone
Casermiro maybe gone
Eriksen gone
Rashford gone
Sancho gone
Ugarte maybe if anyone wanted him which I doubt, so stuck with someone who can’t pass a ball 10 yards
Allows RA to buy what he wants, but hopefully they are at a better level than Dorgu, who I hope gets much better, he got a good engine, but poor touch not great at passing and not great crosser of the ball.
10 Apr 2025 07:08:34
I’d love to see an elite striker sign. However, there aren’t many out there, and those who are will likely cost a fortune.
But do we need a striker who is regarded as elite? Look at the Forest. Chris Wood is not an elite striker but is doing very well. I’m not saying we sign Chris wood, what I’m saying is, if the team is setup correctly and has players that suit that system and work hard, have ability and play for the team, then top, top level players shouldn’t be needed to vastly improve results.
Winning the league is a different story, but we are some years off even thinking about that. We just need to get back near the top of the league first.
{Ed025's Note - good realistic post there Fallguy..
10 Apr 2025 07:58:56
There is that Salford, although personally and historically one of if not our best player should be the guy up top.
10 Apr 2025 10:38:07
Watkins will cost a lot of Villa sell him, he's also had a few niggly injuries this season that has seen him in and out of the team.
Zirkzee isn't a striker, certainly not in the way Amorim wants his strikers to play. Personally I'd keep him, but as an option in the inside forward/ No.10 positions either side of the main striker.
Angel Gomes on a free could be an interesting option, but I'm not sure he's right for us this summer. He's done well in France as part of the deeper double pivot, but I do have concerns over his physicality and stamina to play that role in the EPL. Amorim's preferred options in the double pivot tend to be more physical players who break up play and carry the ball forward with surging runs. Looking at the recent pictures of Kobbie he's been spending a lot of his rehab in the gym, he's packed on some muscle. We lack physicality in midfield, and Angel Gomes will not solve that issue, in fact he'd probably compound it.
Gomes I think would be more likely to play in one of the inside forward positions in Amorim's set up, something I'm sure he could do well.
Now João Gomes of Wolves is a player who looks perfect for Amorim's midfield. Tenacious, physical, and loves to drive forward with the ball.
The issue with selling Højlund this summer is that we need north of 40m to avoid a loss on the books. Which seems a little ambitious given his current form and the high wages he will have for potential interested buyers. He's got talent, but like most young players his game needs developing and refining.
That's why I'd send him on loan for a year. In 2026 we only need to sell him for around 30m to breakeven which seems far more achievable. Especially if he had a good year out on loan and plays well. Who knows, maybe he even develops enough to come back and possibly be a rotation option here with us. I wouldn't be so quick to give up on him, especially if it means selling at a loss (which will restrict what we can spend on replacements this summer) .
Ultimately if we are to let him leave either on loan or permanently then that has to depend on us signing TWO strikers this summer. As I wouldn't count Zirkzee as a striker, meaning Højlund is the only striker in the first team squad. We need at least two strikers.
I really like the idea of signing Branthwaite as I think he'd be an excellent player for us, plus he's homegrown. Yet I wonder if that ship has sailed. I can't imagine Everton will be expecting any less this summer than they demanded last summer. Given that we need to bring in a ST, and a midfielder as a priority, with a keeper and either a RWB or a creative inside forward player as well then I don't see where we have the 60-70m that Branthwaite will cost.
Especially as I'm not convinced we need to spend big on a CB. Defensively we have been improving and if everyone is fit I think we have solid options at CB. Yoro and Mazraoui look to have locked down the RCB role, MdL and Maguire have been solid and dependable in the central CB position. It is the LCB position where we have had issues, but I really liked the loom of Heaven before his injury, while Martinez and Shaw can also do a good job in that role. The issue is can they stay fit. Imagine if we spent 70m on Branthwaite only for all of Martinez, Shaw and Heaven to be fit and available for the majority of next season. That would seem like a poor way to spend our limited budget given that we have struggled more with creating and scoring goals than we have at preventing them.
I think we need to look for a smarter and cheaper alternative at CB. Someone with experience to balance out the youth of Yoro and Heaven, someone strong in the air, great on the ball and capable of playing on the left of a back three.
A player I think could be an excellent option is David Hancko from Feyenoord, he's 27 and has a good level of experience, strong in the air and great with the ball at his feet, has played at both CB and LB so should be comfortable at LCB (which he has played on occasions), has captained his side and is a leader (we lack leaders), he'd also be available for 25-30m which is a good fee to pay for someone who can be first choice or back up.
10 Apr 2025 11:40:34
We have Kukonki coming through for CB shappy.
10 Apr 2025 15:40:24
Shaw fit and available for the majority of a season? Has he managed that ever?
10 Apr 2025 16:35:59
Too many ifs there
If Rasmus can become a decent striker
If Shaw can stay fit
If Martinez can stay fit
If Deligt and McGuire were not so slow
Then the biggest if…. is Rasmus playing 2nd fiddle, I happen to know he’s ego is too big for that, he will not be prepared to play 2nd fiddle plus 50m bid coming for him, so get rid I say.
10 Apr 2025 22:49:49
You know he’s (sic) ego is too big how exactly?