No One Can Replace Arbeloa - Summer Transfers and Lies Thread 2016-17

Excellent. Bring Mendy & Felipe and we got that backline solid for 5 years.

 

Yup. DDG will be Spanish No.1 for years to come as well. His value was 40 ME with last year on his contract in 2015 if you include Navas worth. So 70 ME+ in this market after Stones deal isn't surprising. I expect Ederson to cost 45 ME given how Benfica work. Donna will stay with greedy Raiola close to agreeing a new deal that will see him get a percentage of future transfer fee. I am not surprised Flo doesn't want to deal with that poison.

 

LIES!

 

Yup. Looks like majority investment will be in defense, GK and maybe Mbappe if he's available. I remember Felipe rumours earlier. Sadly see Morata leaving as he won't trust ZZ for another season. Hopefully, Mbappe displaces Benzema from starting spot next season itself.

In:

DDG - 75 ME
Felipe - 30 ME
Mendy - 30 ME
Mbappe - 85 ME
Llorente - Free

Out:

James - 75 ME (Utd/Inter)
Morata - 80 ME (Chelsea)
Coentrao - Free
Navas - 15 ME

Net spend: 50 ME

If Mbappe stays, keep Morata somehow. Again, highly unlikely ZZ/Flo will sell Benz.

 

It'd be hard for Flo to justify that to fans and Spanish press. Ederson will be 24 this year and more risky performance wise. We never know whether he'd be another Keylor. With DDG, you at least you know what you get. He's proven in La Liga with Atletico and has been United's best player for many years.

 

It would be a mistake to trade Morata for Mbappe. Mbappe has got great potential, no doubt. But Morata has had 3 full seasons in top leagues and has proven his goal scoring capabilities in league and UCL. We should hold on to Morata and secure the first option on Mpabbe for the season 18/19.

 

It's a lose - lose for Perez here, if he exercise's said clause last year then he's the bad guy for pushing Navas out after the incredible year he had in 2016, if he doesn't exercise and want's De Gea a year later he's then made the wrong move because he let the clause slip.

My point was more to do with De Gea's seeming sense of entitlement, he piped down when he should have spoke up, and Perez should stay away because the rumoured fee isn't worth it.

 

Sure, it is players fault for not converting all those chances. But it is Zidane`s fault for using underperforming players constantly which makes us play worse. Secondly, i have specifically mentioned La Liga and not CL. In case of proper player selection and tactics, we would already be celebrating La Liga which would also be benefitial for CL aspirations. It is amazing that this even needs to be said.

As for 70 million. No it is not drop in the bucket. It is a massive sum for a goalkeeper, especially for douchebag DDG who opted for contract extension and specific set of words as cherry on top. He can fck off.

 

Vallejo going back out on loan most likely means Pepe will stick it out another year. That, or the club will find a stopgap CB.

 

Would be restarted considering what we're going through with CB's this season.

 

Players I can see leaving/arriving. Hopefully United get a CL spot so that they sign Bale lulz.

 

Coentrao has 2 more seasons in his contract if I'm not mistaken. This season was horrendous with injuries but I'd say we can get 10 ME out of him, or at least loan him for the next two seasons for 2 ME/season.

If one of the useless BC leaves, I hope James stays. He's talented, scores, assists and sells shirts/video games and whatever Perez likes selling. Modric is getting older, and next season I doubt that he'll be seeing more playing time than this one.

In 2019, I'd love seeing a midfield with Cas, Kroos, Isco, and James playing together. That all being said, and while I understand his frustrations, I don't like his hissy fits.

I doubt we will be paying 75 ME for DDG. However, Perez has been known to splash on election summers. We will see ...

 

Putting aside what I think is a real and increasing possibility that he stays, I don't think we'd get 75m or anything particularly close to that for James, though he's probably helped his value over the last week or so.

I am hardly Floro's biggest cheerleader and have called for his head in the past, but in all seriousness I think it's absolute crazy talk when y'all throw around this stuff about Perez directly influencing the starting XI.

Do managers feel pressure to play guys like Bale?

Yes.

But there are much simpler explanations for that than the club president directly pressuring the manager. Others have already made this point but James is basically the perfect counterfactual.

 

I don't know about this. Even Zidane sounded like Pepe was likely gone this summer during his presser today. I think we'll get back someone like Diego Llorente to be the 4th CB and move Nacho up the ranks. He has shown he can handle himself against Europe's top teams.

I don't believe we'll get Felipe because that just seemed like a random name thrown out. Although he is the only CB I've seen us linked with. Unrealistic dummies like Otamendi don't count.

 

Kind of hoping for this B2B, DLP and CM midfield trio next season:


B2B = Kovacic, he would be the main guy charged with making up-and-down runs and being the first of our midfielders to defend. Basically a much more talented version of Vidal.
DLP = Kroos, imo we played our best football with Kroos as DLP. He would take control from the back and prior to him being burned out by Ancelotti, was the best DLP in the world.
CM = Marcos Llorente, he would move around the field creating triangles with other players to create space and dictate plays ala Xavi. He would also be the one in charge of protecting Kroos and shielding the defense.

We can always switch Llorente and Kroos but I prefer that Kroos is given more control over the match since he's a) press-resistant and counter-presser b) better passer c) tactical genius. All 3 cover a lot of ground by sheer endurance (Llorente), speed (Kovacic) or positioning (Kroos)

Isco and James are no-brainers, they should be given free roles to destroy the opposition's middle. Ronaldo can just poach all game long.

Ronaldo
Isco - James
Kovacic - Kroos - Llorente
Marcelo - Ramos - Nacho - Dani
Courtois

 

I wonder which situation would see them spend more - qualifying for the CL or missing out. Might not even make a difference, think they'll spend another €150M net either way.

 

If they miss out they will probably spend insanely to compensate

 

Yah I can see that. But I can also see them splashing insane amounts of money to solidify a CL spot and use the CL as a recruiting tool to say "we're back" (lol). So like I said, either way they're spending a lot of money this summer.

 

It's Mourinho so the only "we're back" I hope they celebrate is a return to Europa league.

 

Looks like an insanely balanced team ! So no way we are going to go with this !!

Also past 4 seasons we have stuck with the 4-3-3 no matter what . This team has one serious setback, lack of pace.

Zizou has shown signs where he has adopted different formations, hopefully he sees this as a long term plan !

 

So u will bench Modric next season?

 

Get a new GK . I like all of the options aka Courtois, Donnarumma & De Gea. I'd prefer Donnarumma since he has the potential to be Neur level or even better.

New LB cover to be an understudy of Marcelo. Theo Hernandez , Grimaldo. Raphael Guerreiro is a more expensive but more versatile option too.

Monitor the CB situation. Pepe has 1 more year at most. Varane is injury prone. Vallejo needs another year at loan to develop. Ramos is 31. Niklas Sule from Hoffenheim.
89,3 % pass accuracy, starter for quite a long time 1, 95 M , 97 kg. A physical monster yet he's decently fast. Hoffenheim conceded 3rd least amount in the league with him as a cornerstone.

Sell Benzema, keep Morata. Make Isco a starter and start phasing Asensio and Kovačić in.
Keep Morata, Asensio, Kovačić and Isco and sell Benzema.

The GK situation , the LB, the Bale situation, the James situation etc. I can live with all of that, no matter what happens. Just please sell Benzema and keep these gems. Groom Kovacic and let him start absorbing Modrić's playtime. Asensio will get plenty of playtime with glassman Bale.
Morata can be one of the best strikers in the world.