Manchester United Summer '05 Transfer Thread

We also conceded 2 in Turin, so the keeper didn't really matter too much.

 

So is Phil Neville on his way out this summer? I thought he may have been a couple years ago. But he got some PT last year and I thought differently. Seems like he's barely got a sniff of action this year. Surely a guy at his age wants to get as much PT as he can.

 

I don't think we can afford to let him go... he can play either fullback position and in DM so for depth he's worth 2 players... SAF will convince him to stay.

 

Has anyone mentioned 'El Pato' Abbondanzieri (Sp?). He is the goalkeeper for Boca Jrs. This guy is top class, and has kept a descending Boca in games where they should have been put away. Why do we need to go through only Euro guys? 'El Pato' would be a great addition at GK.

 

Essien linked again. We need a strong runner who can tackle and drive forward simple as. Keano can't do that anymore, I think ive seen it once with him this season.

 

Yes we did but one of them was a fluke goal deflected off Stam.
I think Peter kept us in that game even when 2-0 down by making some very good saves to give us a chance.
The problem with our GKs since Peter is that sometimes they can deflate our team by making silly mistakes (ala Barthez against Deportivo or Arsenal) to completely turn the game around and make us lose the games we could easily have won.
Peter was the opposite in that he kept us in some games where we would have been 2 or 3 goals down if we had GKs like the ones who came after him.

 

Yes it would be great to have Peter back at United as a GK coach.
I like Owen too but it is hard to see where he would fit into our team right now even if we sold Saha to raise the funds.
If we were to sell Saha, maybe the money is better spent on another GK or
a midfielder.
I also think that it is time to sell Silvestre as his mistakes are as bad as the ones our GKs make.

 

All the talk about Essien is all well and good... he's a good player.. but I hate to think we missed out on Gravesson... man we could have afforded that price and he is top class... not long long term, but still top class.

 

Gravesson is a half class below Essien in my mind, Essien is a horse and built like one too.. he has pace,can score, can control the middle, and has a nice touch on the ball. Watch the french league.. Essien clearly stands out. But get Grevesson for peanuts would have been nice too.

 

Just pointing some things out to people on this thread. Tim Howard is an American. Tim Howard is a good keeper. He and Carroll have both kept us in games. They have helped us win alot more than lose. If our defense was better, these two wouldn't have made their mistakes (except Carroll and the Pedro Mendes/Tottenham volley). Milan shouldn't have been allowed to shoot from the top of the penalty box. I think our two keepers are both good, they just lack in some confidence and are still developing. Oliver Kahn, Iker Casillas, Buffon, and even Seaman make (made) the rare blunder that costs their teams.
For summer transfers, I think Essein is a great player and would like to have him, if he leaves Lyon. If we can't get him we're still in good shape for next year with center midfielder's in Keane, Scholes, Phil Neville, and (recently) John O'shea. Alan Smith should be given more of a chance in the midfield. When he has played there he reminds me of Keane. If we're looking for another attacking center midfielder, Wesley Sneijder of Ajax has been awesome the last two years, though he'd cost atleast 7 million euros. We really need to start looking at wingers again as there isn't really a replacement for Ryan Giggs in 2 or 3 years.

 

Speaking of wingers:

Romeo Castelen: the Dutch International, was really impressive vs. England a couple weeks ago, maybe we should look into buying him, he'd be cheap.

Joaquin may be leaving Betis, he'd be worth it if we could get him for 10 million euros or less.

Shaun Wright-Phillips may be leaving Man City, though his dad is probably making him lean towards Arsenal.

Rothen is unhappy at PSG, he is a good player, kind of Beckham-esque. He doesn't head well or dribble well or run well, but he can cross and take free kicks.

Jaroslav Plasil at Monaco has really improved this year, he looks like a young Pavel Nedved.

Its too bad we missed out on Robben. The board should've given us more money too try and persuade him.

 

Damn. I'm actually not as persuaded as most that we need to buy another keeper, but I think you're way too protective of the current set.

Both Howard and Carroll have real, actual problems as GKs. We're not speaking of an occasional blunder.

Howard isn't good at dealing with crosses. He also makes very poor decisions as to when to come out. His positioning is unsound. And he fumbles the ball a bit much.

Roy Carroll kicks the ball poorly. His handling is below-average at that level. And he's physically far below average for an EPL goalkeeper.

Both of them, of course, also have strengths. But those are more weaknesses than many top-flight keepers have. Contrary to your implications, both Howard and Carroll deal with far less than any other EPL keeper other than Cech. The backline is, without much doubt, the second best in the league. This year, neither Howard nor Carroll would make a top 5 list. That's unacceptable.

I happen to think that Howard will utlimately work out as a top flight keeper. Carroll is more of the consumate back-up type (though he doesn't realize it yet). I don't know if it would be better to loan Howard out for a year to a lower-tier EPL squad...or to grin and bear his mistakes as he learns. Regardless, he's a very flawed keeper and his play is a problem.

 

Did anyone watch Kameni completely own Barcelona?

 

You are correct - and these are the same problems he had while with the Metros although, if you watched Tim the other day, he didn't do his usual fumbling (but was quite suspect on a 2nd half cross).

 

I did, it was remarkable. Unfortunately though I've seen Kameni have Howard/Carroll-like games before, and I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that he's as reliable and consistent as Casillas or Cech.

 

Joaquin for less than 10? I'm not convinced it would happen. Real Madrid have been tracking him, and he has done everything short of falling to his knees and begging them to buy him.

 

I say we get rid of Saha, Bellion, Kleberson and Caroll and Ricardo are going anyway at the end of the season anyway - then I think we should bring In a decent keeper, Frey, Isakson, Robinson or Casillas or atleast a decent keeper, then a winger, i say we go for Stewart Downing, the guy has 18 assists this season and Ruud/Rooney would love that kind of service, and get Van Der Vaart, he can be the long term replacement to Scholes and if we need him to he can as a 2nd striker or on the left n would only cost around 5/7 million i think, granted hes not had a good year but i think if he came to OT he would be a success, SAF would be able to set him straight.

Just my thoughts.

 

we don't have alot of cash... more than likely just the positions that MUST be filled... likely a GK... maybe a CM if we lose one or two. No way we get Vaart either... he's played poorly and we don't need him... he aint a winger and he is not better than Scholes.

 

Agree with you here that he is not as reliable as those 2 but his potential is incredible. Some of the saves he makes are outrageous and the bad games he has are not that bad. I think if you put him in behind our defense he could be a rock. I don't think that the defending in Spain is the same as the defending in England.

 

http://www.football365.com/news/transfer_gossip/index.shtml

PROTO GOING CHEAP
The agent of La Louviere goalkeeper Silvio Proto is determined to cash on his client with a move to England. Pietro Alatta said: "Manchester United and Arsenal are fighting for him. Silvio is also the most wanted player in Belgium. Almost all clubs in Italy love him. Roma, Fiorentina, Siena, Vicenza, Genoa - all want him. Palermo even made a bid for him. But Proto prefers a move to England. No problem. Manchester United and Arsenal have started a war for him. Both have seen him several times and are very impressed." The 21-year-old Belgium international could be snapped up for just £428 000.

 

The reality is that United is not going to spend a lot this summer unless we generate some funds from sales. My guess is SAF will have 10-12MM to spend as long as there is no net increase of the first team squad.

I predict a (relatively) cheap GK and a wide player.

 

No thank you. It is time to go for a sure-thing keeper who has proven himself in a top league. Furthermore, what his agent is coming out with sounds like complete bullsh!t; I'm not buying it.

 

Well If the board have any sense they will give SAF a decent amount to spend as Arsenal seem to have abit to spend in the summer. We need a goal keeper, a winger and a possible replacement for Keane, I say we get a decent keeer (Niemi, Van Der Saar or Robinson), Figo (4/6 million, would do for a few years) or Downing and Essien, should all cost around 20 million, I'm sure the board could give that to Fergie, otherwise they will have to satisfy with 3rd place next year.

 

Its a ploy to stop Kenyon hijacking players. We have tons of money.

 

Do we earn a transfer fee for Mads Timm being sent to the English correctina system? He is on loan for about a year I hear.

I dont think we're have a Rooney type of year, but not a queit one either. Dont underestimate the board. Maybe they want to show United's fans they are solid and standing on their feet after the most recent Glazer attempts. Maybe they want to show they are in charge and not looking for a byout. So...perhaps we're see a reasonable year and a couple fresh faces who will help us win the treble again.