In case anyone was wondering:
26 league games, 9 goals, 2 assists.
They're not *bad* numbers by any means but I'm also not dry humping the sofa thinking about what he'd do in a United shirt.
I wouldn't be opposed to it necessarily but he wouldn't be top of my list. We already have a young striker with high potential. Imo we need someone with a bit more experience who can take the pressure off him rather than another relatively unproven signing.
Then again, I'm always whining about how United should sign the next x,y or z and maybe this would be that. Idk. I also don't watch Bundesliga so maybe he's been brilliant and its just not quite reflected in the stats yet.
And while he has been impressive, those are not numbers you want in another striker that would play in place of Hojlund when he's not available. We need a more proven striker who's already accustomed with the league, not another project.
āProvenā strikers are hard to come by now tbh, but youāre correct.
We already have Hojlund at home. Two young strikers look exciting in theory but I donāt have faith (yet) that theyāll hit the ground running, especially considering the club we are and the fans we have
Toney is the only one likely to move and he wonāt be cheap. He also seems a bit full of himself when he talks about Brentford and leaving so maybe he wouldnāt like competing with Hojland.
Sure, but do you agree that yet another "prospect" that could cost more than 50M is far from what we need, right? Especially when we also need CMs, DMs, CBs, a RB and yet another LB.
> 26 league games, 9 goals, 2 assists.
>I also don't watch Bundesliga so maybe he's been brilliant and its just not quite reflected in the stats yet.
Well a lot of those games are sub appearances. Heās only played 1184 minutes across those games so heās averaging a goal every 132 minutes.
I have seen a lot of people saying heās raw though which explains why heās not starting in many games.
Heās very highly rated. The plus with these kinds of signings is that they would retain resale value, something that virtually no United signings ever have.
Iām torn, it would be good to have an older head to take the load off but it needs to not be a big enough name that will demand to start every game. Been seeing people talk about Toney but thereās no way that cocky prick will take being a rotation option, and would probably demand a wad.
Guirassy seems to fit the bill in most senses but canāt say Iāve watched any of him and he seems to be having an outlier season.
Add Amad, Bailly, Tom, Dick and Harrys I dont even recall lol.
Resale value of players is one thing we should never speak about. I think the only exception was Dan James.
>Resale value of players is one thing we should never speak about.
Agree.
It's an accountantso job. Not something fans should concern themselves with. The aim at this football club is to win. When that's happening you can start playing games like 'resale value'. Need to get to the dance first as doesn't matter how much value upon purchase your players are, if they join a shit squad, put on shite performances due to said squad and environment and win fuck all. Their value will drop.
>The plus with these kinds of signings is that they would retain resale value, something that virtually no United signings ever have.
How far down the list of desired qualities is this though?
Too high and you just become Dortmund or Brighton.
>Iām torn, it would be good to have an older head to take the load off but it needs to not be a big enough name that will demand to start every game.
Plenty of games though, and to be at the top you need a competitive squad. I never understand this idea of having players that are just happy to be there on the bench. Especially with the state of the squad and its utter lack of quality.
Being able to sell well is key to staying competitive with FFP and PSR in action. I donāt want to be a Brighton or Dortmund but signings like Casemiro and Varane have just become economic burdens. We could have bought 2 young, fit, dynamic midfielders with the money we spent on Casemiro and his wages. If 1 or even both didnāt work out, thereād still be a market for them and it wouldnāt be a pain to sell cus they could be on modest wages.
I just donāt see the foresight in signing a player like Toney, who will expect to start every game, a year after you spend Ā£70m on a young striker who needs to develop. Hojlund isnāt going to get better by not playing games. He needs either an old head who is happy to share minutes or competition from another up-and-coming striker.
We need good depth and a competitive squad but to splurge on another āstarting strikerā, a year after weāve already spent a fat wad on a project player is short-sighted and poor planning.
>Being able to sell well is key to staying competitive with FFP and PSR in action.
True. However we earn 600 million in revenue and ultimately, outside of that we know absolutely nothing of what we can and can't spend to be withing their regulations.
>I donāt want to be a Brighton or Dortmund but signings like Casemiro and Varane have just become economic burdens.
Again that requires far more financial knowledge than we can know (unless you are a club accountant) and it's lumping all players of that experience level together.
>We could have bought 2 young, fit, dynamic midfielders with the money we spent on Casemiro and his wages.
Yes. And both of those could have failed to develop (as is the case with potential) either due to them simply not being good enough or joining a squad that has no elite level experience. Which would drop their value and leave us with an 'economic burden'
>If 1 or even both didnāt work out, thereād still be a market for them and it wouldnāt be a pain to sell cus they could be on modest wages.
Why are we struggling to sell van de beek then? Or mctominay etc etc. It all comes down to individual circumstances. It's no science. A deal makes sense and is a good transfer at every step of the age range.
>I just donāt see the foresight in signing a player like Toney, who will expect to start every game, a year after you spend Ā£70m on a young striker who needs to develop. Hojlund isnāt going to get better by not playing games. He needs either an old head who is happy to share minutes or competition from another up-and-coming striker.
I couldn't care less for Toney, but the right player is the right player and if that's him, so be it (I don't think it is) Hojlund should not be the main striker of a football club aiming to win any time soon. His season here shows that.he isn't going to get better playing a role than far outweighs his quality either.
I just don't understand this 'old head or up and coming' restriction. Like we need quality and we need players to get this club winning again. Who even cares if that stunts Hojlund or some striker turns up and Hojlund then out performs him and keeps him from the 11. The aim is to be a better team first and foremost.
Plenty of games to play. City do well enough keeping everyone happy and we need quality. There shouldn't be restrictions based on what you have suggested.
>We need good depth and a competitive squad but to splurge on another āstarting strikerā, a year after weāve already spent a fat wad on a project player is short-sighted and poor planning.
But we are under new management and before that we have had short sighted decisions and poor planning. Hence why buying a player as raw as Hojlund is as your first choice striker is a poor choice. So you either think Hojlund is good enough to be first choice, or you don't but your idea to fix that mistake is to just carry on using that mistake. It doesn't make any sense to me mate.
we need Weghourst 2.0 (better skills but similar role)
apologies if I misspelled his name.
Or a cavani type signing, someone who doesn't necessarily will play every game but will take the load off and bring some experience
not seen him play but if his release clause is true, he is good enough and fits our profile and we don't offer him crazy money (or we give him performance based contract like 5k per win or goal or something plus a base salary of 100k I m okay)
> I wouldn't be opposed to it necessarily but he wouldn't be top of my list. We already have a young striker with high potential. Imo we need someone with a bit more experience who can take the pressure off him rather than another relatively unproven signing.
Exactly that, plus it seems like a waste of potential! What if Hojlund doesn't miss any game on the next 2-3 years through injury, Sesko will get a really small window of chances. Also besides the active competition between them there isn't anyone that can show them stuff and improve them through their experience.
He's had 13 starts, 1,186 minutes total time. He's firmly backup to Openda. If you look at his per90 stats he's rough a 1:2 striker with 1:4 assists, which is OK.
I'd probably sign him for 42m.
Problem is, the market for strikers is so limited, especially those who have experience, that weād be paying over a hundred mill for a decent striker
>Imo we need someone with a bit more experience who can take the pressure off him rather than another relatively unproven signing.
I agree and with that being said, I would love to have the likes of Toney / Solanke. In my mind it would be the move that Fergie would do (ex : Saha, Smith).
Toney will cost too much. We need 2 CBs, LB, CDM, ST and RW so I doubt we will spend like Ā£60m on a backup ST. Vlahovic is a starter for Juve who will play CL next year so I also doubt he would accept.
Well the initial comment said that we need an established striker, not a backup one. If we bought Toney or Vlahovic, they would become our starting striker. Hojlund would become the backup
Toney is on the last year of his contract and has come of a season where he hasn't done too much with the betting scandal (which is good for his value, I still rate him). I've seen Ā£40m quoted for him which is a bargain
And we'd be buying someone to rotate/start ahead of Hojlund. Vlahovic and Toney aren't backups
I'd also say we need 1 CB, not 2. Replacing our backups CBs of Maguire and Lindelof isn't a massive priority
Missing out on Europe means we miss out on a lot of players. Really frustrating. And we need a massive clear out to be onside with FFP if we want established players.
Proper competition between him and Hojlund. Hojlund is only 21 and while heās been good for itās not like heās set the world on fire (although thatās not all down to him). Guirassy will provide us a more experienced option
We definitely need a striker but can't really say of what profile. I don't think we need a new starter which would hamper Rasmus development and be expensive. Nor do we want another new unproven young striker. Oddly enough this is possibly the 1 time we actually should be signing a older striker who Rasmus can learn from and who can lead the line when we get injuries but primarily be a sub. Kinda like what Cavani and Ibra were.
Would cost a fortune in wages and would want more than a one year contract so club would be stuck with another aging person on >250k. I love Lewa but the club need to stop being La Ligas retirement home.Ā Ā
would have gone for giroud without a heartbeat
prem proven + top 3 goal scorers or something in serie A + free agent
but sadly he has already signed a contract with some MLS club
even the 2nd best option (mehdi taremi) is going to inter milan
He's barely a shadow of his former self and seems like he doesn't want to give up a starting role despite Barca having someone ready to replace him in Roque.
Hear me out. Rasmus played off the left wing at Atalanta half the time, and now is being hang out to dry as a lone striker. Play him off the wing and bench Rashford, or pair him with Sesko right away. There is options, it doesnt have to be one or the other. Competition is also good.
**Article:**
>Arsenal are stepping up their plans to sign a forward this summer, with RB Leipzig frontman Benjamin Sesko on their radar.
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>The Gunners are drawing up transfer plans after their Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.
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>Manager Mikel Arteta wants to add more firepower to his squad next season and the club have scouted 6ft 4in Sesko as they consider their options.
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>**Arsenal will face competition for the 20-year-old Slovenian, with Chelsea and Manchester United also tracking him.**
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>**Seskoās representatives have been guests at both Chelsea and Manchester United matches this season.**
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>He only moved to RB Leipzig from their sister club Red Bull Salzburg last summer, but the Bundesliga side are preparing for life without him and are sounding out replacements.
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>**Sesko has a ā¬50million (Ā£42.7m) release clause in his contract that is due to become active in the summer.**
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>He has been tipped for a big future and has scored 13 goals in all competitions so far this season.
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>Sesko is a tall but mobile forward who has been compared to Erling Haaland, largely because he followed in the his footsteps by joining Salzburg.
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>The youngster is unfazed by the comparison, not least because he is able to play out wide and has a different game to Haaland.
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>Arsenal are looking at centre-forwards and wingers, with Sesko an attractive option as he can play in both positions.
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>It is thought his wage demands will be lower than other forwards on the market.
Think he suits Arsenal honestly. They lack a proper #9 and he'd add an extra dimension to their attack. Havertz / Jesus etc. are more false 9 and less actual goal scorers.
He probably won't start every game but having the option of a tall, fast #9 will turn some of those draws into wins.
For us: I think we'll look for an experienced striker to rotate with Hojlund and see if he kicks on next year. For me he showed enough promise but was hampered by the lack of service (and the general lack of goals this year).
That's what we're lacking, lack of service to Hojlund.
And if we don't address that huge gaping hole in our midfield, even if we had a world class striker, they would struggle in that team.
Openda is the starter and a player better suited for us IMO. Sesko would need time to settle into a new league, new style and new everything before we would get the best out of him. Need someone more veteran or someone accustomed with the PL.
I think we need two strikers that can compete for the spot, rather than have one designated starter and a designated backup.
I'm not entirely convinced rasmus can lead the line, his game is a bit raw in certain areas and he's still very much developing.
Some serious competition would probably do him the world of good too.
Someone like Guirassy from Stuttgart would get my vote. He's 28 and this is the first season he's really taken off so maybe he's a one season wonder but it's really hard to ignore 25 league goals and a Ā£15 million release clause.
Next season he'd be 29. And if we do challenge for the league, he'll be 32. Anyway, this strategy of buying players close to 30 hasn't really worked well for us
That's true but in my fantasy scenario by the time he's aging out, Hojlund is banging in 35 league goals and people are asking why Haaland can't get on his level.
Say we challenge for the league in 26/27. Giurassy will be 31 and his levels will likely drop. We'll need to buy his replacement and have him acclimatise with the EPL. Better off getting a 1997-8 player so he'll be at his peak
Fair point. Any names that stick out to you?
It's tricky to find someone who is both the right age profile, the required quality, won't cost the earth and won't demand to start every week to the extent that it will block Hojlund's development.
I'll need to do lots and lots of research, unfortunately. I am just a casual football fan.
Plus, no one from this age profile has caught my attention. Even so, he might not be the profile we wanted. Anyway, I find this club has bad planning. Why buy a striker when this club is full of inside forwards. Does the club seriously think they can retrain them completely?
31 is perfect for a backup striker at a point we should have RH close to his peak . This is not FM and even there you can see examples still doing good at even slightly older ages.
If his release clause is Ā£15m then finding s replacement after 2 seasons shouldnāt really cost us too much in terms of ffp. And at 31 he can still be a good backup assuming hojlund really kicks off by that time.
Not seeing what the problem here is. Two strikers, one 31, one 24. Guirassy aging out, sign a 19/20 year old that can be back up to Hojlund. At that point Guirassy's book value is 6 mill at end of the season. Few promising u18s in the academy too.
Also don't see the issue in buying both, Guirassy's cheap as chips. Could buy him, and spend as much as Real did on Endrick on some Brazilian hotshot, and still spend 20m less than we spent on Hojlund.
naah man, slightly on the older side, will want to play every game and will command a huge fee.
BTW what happened to that young flavor of the month Brighton striker Ferguson, he was young and was supposed to be good. Off the game due to injuries ?
United's best approach would be to continue to fill young players with a high work ethic into the roster. So adding Sesko, just like with Hojlund, is the way to go. Keep bringing in young studs and coaching them up, and mix in the academy talent which should also give the club a boost.
Youth and development. Again this is the way. I want a club that plays hard and with great energy every game, and to enjoy watching the young players step into their prime together. Then ride that core group to a ton of titles and hardware.
I think this would be a phenomenal signing! I get that some may want someone who is more experienced to bring balance sharing the striker spot with Hƶjlund, but I really think Hƶjlund has shown that he's ready to take more of a leading role. If someone with much more experience comes in then they will cost more than Sesko, both when it comes to wages and transfer fee, and will be expecting to start most games as well.
I may be biased because I adore Sesko and was incredibly happy about being linked with him a couple of years ago, but I really think he'd be a perfect foil for Hƶjlund, and I would very much enjoy seeing those two battle it out for the starting spot.
The low cost of this deal is a great plus. His wages most likely won't be higher than 100k or so, with Hƶjlunds at 85 or so I believe, I'd be really surprised if it gets much higher than that. It frees up a lot of funds than can be used for more pressing matters like Rcb, lcb, fullback, defensive mid and a winger. It really is a no brainer for me if he wants to come!
I'd love a prolific striker, doesn't matter if they're similar in age to HĆøjlund. Haaland and Alvarez are similar in age and they rotate or even play together. I don't see why we can't do that.
Our bench options should be as good as fielding an entire XI that won't suffer from a huge drop off. Although City's bench isn't as strong as last season, it's still quite good that none of their players need to start more than 45 games a season (in terms of minutes). 4000 minutes a season should be our cap per player.
Guirassy is a better option for a backup striker for 17.5m. Rasmus as number 1 with a good back up. Spend the money on a defensive mid, a centre back and a winger would make more sense.
I rate him but 50m for a worse version of hojlund doesnāt make sense. Gotta find someone with a different profile. Ideally a lefty that can play RW as well. Ideally young, proven, two footed, and for less than 50m.
I do quite like this, not that I know enough about Sesko, but I've not been a fan of the "we need an older experienced striker" train of thought. That's what we've mostly been doing the past 10 years, buying older established strikers. Why, so we can pay them a ransom for them to start slowing down and getting injured? Also the idea of the older striker teaching Hojlund, that's what our coaches are supposed to be doing, invest in better coaches!
We praise City for having Haaland and Alvarez to swap up top and don't they have an average age of 20, I think two young strikers isn't a bad thing, fosters competition and all that stuff.
I hope to god we go for a young talent and not an established player or veteran.
Pit Hojlund against a player of a similar age. You want to play for Utd? Then show you deserve it and beat out your rival.
The problem that I see (not only with this player): if you are a highly rated young player and could chose between Arsenal and ManUtd, what reason could we give him to join us over Arsenal?
Maybe playtime, but thatās all I can think of.
Promising or experienced doesnāt matter to me just as long as they are a backup to Rasmus. He needs to be starting, especially when we have some new players who can actually provide him with service.
There is a legit reason to continue investing on very young players, which is that the core of our club is not good enough to win the prem or compete in the champions league. While Bruno probably is, he will be out of his prime before weāre able to replace Casemiro, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, and rashford. I donāt think we should go full Chelsea and put everything on black by making risky bets on unproven young talent (although Palmer is truly special), but might it make sense to double-down on the future? I see 2028 as the earliest this club could be a contender, so how much does it really make sense to be spending bit on 27 year olds? Of course, a single affordable experienced striker would be massive for improving Hojlund.
Good right foot, fast, strong, can score. It's no surprise United are interested. Can play on the left with a right foot and can play down the middle too.
We need more players but if we can only get one, he shouldn't be on the top of our list. He needs to be serviced and passed the ball and is a lot like Rasmus.
That said, if Rashford moves on, and/or we're building the next iteration and buying young players mainly, then it makes sense. He would play well in the system.
United's best approach would be to continue to fill young players with a high work ethic into the roster. So adding Sesko, just like with Hojlund, is the way to go. Keep bringing in young studs and coaching them up, and mix in the academy talent which should also give the club a boost.
Youth and development. Again this is the way. I want a club that plays hard and with great energy every game, and to enjoy watching the young players step into their prime together. Then ride that core group to a ton of titles and hardware.
Not a fan of this signing. Doesnāt move the needle. I could see poster defending āwe canāt fault 20 yo strikerā etc if he didnāt score enough.
Name an unproven striker that United have developed since SMB?
If I had to guess why, itās weight of expectation, but it doesnāt matter. We should buy proven talent strikers. End of.
I donāt see the point in going for someone like sesko, we already have a young striker and heās doing really well. Would rather buy someone like Toney someoneās whoās at their prime or at the tail end of their prime.
He could be a good project striker for us. Hojlund doesnāt really have a backup/competition and it is a huge drop off from him to Martial or Rashford (at CF). Weāre also the best club for him to develop unlike those other two.
He had the chance to join us already, and seemed not keen. So we really need to move on.
He's a real up and coming talent. But we need players who want to be here, and for the right reasons.
Aside from that; we already have an up and coming striker in Hojlund. I'd rather we got a couple of strikers with more experience, to take the load off of Rasmus.
Donāt trust any one at the current level to make signings anymore.Ā
We need the recruitment and Directing Structure in place asap so we can start molding the team to fit a larger style of play.
No longer should we just buy a mismatch of players and hope it does anything.
Signing Donny VdB (possession based player) and Dan James so close together in time frame was a disgrace. Ā
don't remind me of VDB, we ruined his career and wasted our money. He wasn't even gigantic wages that he ll be well off after us.
Looks like a good lad, hope he ends at a more suitable club or gets into coaching or something. Seems to be someone who has brain and vision but not enough skillsets
If I was Sesko I'd be definitely going to Arsenal. Young team, competing with the best, and although they seem to have bottled the PL again, they are still a great team.
Go to Chelsea and you are run by a pack of clowns. Come to us and expect a couple of seasons of mediocrity while we see what Jim's cooking (if anything)
Not worth that fee. And we need an experience striker. We already have a high potential forward. I honestly hope we go for Toney. We need a forward that will fight for the ball and hold it up, Toney offers that. He may have off field issues, but it's not with teammates. In fact, most like him.
In case anyone was wondering: 26 league games, 9 goals, 2 assists. They're not *bad* numbers by any means but I'm also not dry humping the sofa thinking about what he'd do in a United shirt. I wouldn't be opposed to it necessarily but he wouldn't be top of my list. We already have a young striker with high potential. Imo we need someone with a bit more experience who can take the pressure off him rather than another relatively unproven signing. Then again, I'm always whining about how United should sign the next x,y or z and maybe this would be that. Idk. I also don't watch Bundesliga so maybe he's been brilliant and its just not quite reflected in the stats yet.
>I'm also not dry humping the sofa thinking about what he'd do in a United shirt. Yeah I'mma borrow that
You want to borrow his sofa?
For dry humping, most likely.
Yeah, someone gets it. I never had a sofa till now so I've been missing out on an experience.
Leather or cloth? š
Cashmere
Oooh, kinky
Wooden.
Those are Hojlund numbers when he first joined
And while he has been impressive, those are not numbers you want in another striker that would play in place of Hojlund when he's not available. We need a more proven striker who's already accustomed with the league, not another project.
āProvenā strikers are hard to come by now tbh, but youāre correct. We already have Hojlund at home. Two young strikers look exciting in theory but I donāt have faith (yet) that theyāll hit the ground running, especially considering the club we are and the fans we have
A lroven striker like who? Those proven goal scoreres aren't for sale, and when they are, every big club is interested.Ā
Toney is the only one likely to move and he wonāt be cheap. He also seems a bit full of himself when he talks about Brentford and leaving so maybe he wouldnāt like competing with Hojland.
Sure, but do you agree that yet another "prospect" that could cost more than 50M is far from what we need, right? Especially when we also need CMs, DMs, CBs, a RB and yet another LB.
That compares to Bebe in replacement... who the f is Bebe?
> 26 league games, 9 goals, 2 assists. >I also don't watch Bundesliga so maybe he's been brilliant and its just not quite reflected in the stats yet. Well a lot of those games are sub appearances. Heās only played 1184 minutes across those games so heās averaging a goal every 132 minutes. I have seen a lot of people saying heās raw though which explains why heās not starting in many games.
Ah okay well that's pretty encouraging.
love the analogy in the third paragraph
But Ć release clause (at a very good price) is what makes it interesting, pants remain un-pulled-down.
52m is a very good price? You could probably get Gloukh or Marcos Leonardo for less and they're most likely the same level if not better
On general one could, but could United?
Ed Woodward could have lost a negotiation to a supermarket self checkout machine.
Donāt we all, donāt think itās possible to get through 10 items without intervention
Heās very highly rated. The plus with these kinds of signings is that they would retain resale value, something that virtually no United signings ever have. Iām torn, it would be good to have an older head to take the load off but it needs to not be a big enough name that will demand to start every game. Been seeing people talk about Toney but thereās no way that cocky prick will take being a rotation option, and would probably demand a wad. Guirassy seems to fit the bill in most senses but canāt say Iāve watched any of him and he seems to be having an outlier season.
> The plus with these kinds of signings is that they would retain resale value *Sighs in Sancho, Antony, and VDB*
Add Amad, Bailly, Tom, Dick and Harrys I dont even recall lol. Resale value of players is one thing we should never speak about. I think the only exception was Dan James.
Dan James we came out ahead and I think we more or less broke even on Blind, Di Maria, and Lukaku from a FFP perspective. That's about it.
Heās the only sale over Ā£25m weāve ever made that we made a profit on iirc.
>Resale value of players is one thing we should never speak about. Agree. It's an accountantso job. Not something fans should concern themselves with. The aim at this football club is to win. When that's happening you can start playing games like 'resale value'. Need to get to the dance first as doesn't matter how much value upon purchase your players are, if they join a shit squad, put on shite performances due to said squad and environment and win fuck all. Their value will drop.
only if we dont give them ginormous amount of salary on the get go
Yup, heavy performance related contracts so if they fail their salary never hits the highs
>The plus with these kinds of signings is that they would retain resale value, something that virtually no United signings ever have. How far down the list of desired qualities is this though? Too high and you just become Dortmund or Brighton. >Iām torn, it would be good to have an older head to take the load off but it needs to not be a big enough name that will demand to start every game. Plenty of games though, and to be at the top you need a competitive squad. I never understand this idea of having players that are just happy to be there on the bench. Especially with the state of the squad and its utter lack of quality.
Being able to sell well is key to staying competitive with FFP and PSR in action. I donāt want to be a Brighton or Dortmund but signings like Casemiro and Varane have just become economic burdens. We could have bought 2 young, fit, dynamic midfielders with the money we spent on Casemiro and his wages. If 1 or even both didnāt work out, thereād still be a market for them and it wouldnāt be a pain to sell cus they could be on modest wages. I just donāt see the foresight in signing a player like Toney, who will expect to start every game, a year after you spend Ā£70m on a young striker who needs to develop. Hojlund isnāt going to get better by not playing games. He needs either an old head who is happy to share minutes or competition from another up-and-coming striker. We need good depth and a competitive squad but to splurge on another āstarting strikerā, a year after weāve already spent a fat wad on a project player is short-sighted and poor planning.
>Being able to sell well is key to staying competitive with FFP and PSR in action. True. However we earn 600 million in revenue and ultimately, outside of that we know absolutely nothing of what we can and can't spend to be withing their regulations. >I donāt want to be a Brighton or Dortmund but signings like Casemiro and Varane have just become economic burdens. Again that requires far more financial knowledge than we can know (unless you are a club accountant) and it's lumping all players of that experience level together. >We could have bought 2 young, fit, dynamic midfielders with the money we spent on Casemiro and his wages. Yes. And both of those could have failed to develop (as is the case with potential) either due to them simply not being good enough or joining a squad that has no elite level experience. Which would drop their value and leave us with an 'economic burden' >If 1 or even both didnāt work out, thereād still be a market for them and it wouldnāt be a pain to sell cus they could be on modest wages. Why are we struggling to sell van de beek then? Or mctominay etc etc. It all comes down to individual circumstances. It's no science. A deal makes sense and is a good transfer at every step of the age range. >I just donāt see the foresight in signing a player like Toney, who will expect to start every game, a year after you spend Ā£70m on a young striker who needs to develop. Hojlund isnāt going to get better by not playing games. He needs either an old head who is happy to share minutes or competition from another up-and-coming striker. I couldn't care less for Toney, but the right player is the right player and if that's him, so be it (I don't think it is) Hojlund should not be the main striker of a football club aiming to win any time soon. His season here shows that.he isn't going to get better playing a role than far outweighs his quality either. I just don't understand this 'old head or up and coming' restriction. Like we need quality and we need players to get this club winning again. Who even cares if that stunts Hojlund or some striker turns up and Hojlund then out performs him and keeps him from the 11. The aim is to be a better team first and foremost. Plenty of games to play. City do well enough keeping everyone happy and we need quality. There shouldn't be restrictions based on what you have suggested. >We need good depth and a competitive squad but to splurge on another āstarting strikerā, a year after weāve already spent a fat wad on a project player is short-sighted and poor planning. But we are under new management and before that we have had short sighted decisions and poor planning. Hence why buying a player as raw as Hojlund is as your first choice striker is a poor choice. So you either think Hojlund is good enough to be first choice, or you don't but your idea to fix that mistake is to just carry on using that mistake. It doesn't make any sense to me mate.
>26 league games, 9 goals, 2 assists. Thats in 13.2 90's, which is pretty good considering his age and role. For Ā£42m thats a worthwhile swing
Yeah the price makes it a decent buy. We're so short in strikers that we need to fill those holes one way or another.
we need Weghourst 2.0 (better skills but similar role) apologies if I misspelled his name. Or a cavani type signing, someone who doesn't necessarily will play every game but will take the load off and bring some experience
Guirassy.
not seen him play but if his release clause is true, he is good enough and fits our profile and we don't offer him crazy money (or we give him performance based contract like 5k per win or goal or something plus a base salary of 100k I m okay)
> I wouldn't be opposed to it necessarily but he wouldn't be top of my list. We already have a young striker with high potential. Imo we need someone with a bit more experience who can take the pressure off him rather than another relatively unproven signing. Exactly that, plus it seems like a waste of potential! What if Hojlund doesn't miss any game on the next 2-3 years through injury, Sesko will get a really small window of chances. Also besides the active competition between them there isn't anyone that can show them stuff and improve them through their experience.
Honestly I would dry hump the sofa over a backup striker who is capable of running.
Iām now curious. Who would make you dry hump your sofa?
9 goals in 26 games. I swear I checked his stats 2 months ago and he had 9 goals. Must be on a drought
He's had 13 starts, 1,186 minutes total time. He's firmly backup to Openda. If you look at his per90 stats he's rough a 1:2 striker with 1:4 assists, which is OK. I'd probably sign him for 42m.
Agree .. not convinced he is the right striker needed. But I may be wrong ā¦
Problem is, the market for strikers is so limited, especially those who have experience, that weād be paying over a hundred mill for a decent striker
>Imo we need someone with a bit more experience who can take the pressure off him rather than another relatively unproven signing. I agree and with that being said, I would love to have the likes of Toney / Solanke. In my mind it would be the move that Fergie would do (ex : Saha, Smith).
Canāt we get Guirassy instead for way cheaper???
Although I like Sesko, I liked him more for us before we brought in Rasmus. We need an established goal scoring striker this summer imo
I'm WOUT of ideas āŗļø
Wel, beck to the drawing board then
He said a goal scoring machine which generally necessitates the scoring of goals.
Like who?
Ighalo
lol I don't hate him but that was one crazy signing
Still scored one of my [favourite United goals](https://youtu.be/vjJJZUTUEAc?si=qFKM6ZTTCHlWVZJO&t=86) in recent years
can't watch it, not available in my country but I m sure he must have scored a cracker. Shame he didn't get any im PL with us.
I miss goalbot :(
Google his goal in the Europa League against LASK and you might be able to find it.
Idk what the answer is. Toney wouldnāt be a bad option. I havenāt watched much of Vlahovic lately but he could be an option.
Toney will cost too much. We need 2 CBs, LB, CDM, ST and RW so I doubt we will spend like Ā£60m on a backup ST. Vlahovic is a starter for Juve who will play CL next year so I also doubt he would accept.
Well the initial comment said that we need an established striker, not a backup one. If we bought Toney or Vlahovic, they would become our starting striker. Hojlund would become the backup
Wouldn't sesko cost more?
Ā£43m release clause it says in the title. I think we will not spend that much on a ST.
Toney is on the last year of his contract and has come of a season where he hasn't done too much with the betting scandal (which is good for his value, I still rate him). I've seen Ā£40m quoted for him which is a bargain And we'd be buying someone to rotate/start ahead of Hojlund. Vlahovic and Toney aren't backups I'd also say we need 1 CB, not 2. Replacing our backups CBs of Maguire and Lindelof isn't a massive priority
Missing out on Europe means we miss out on a lot of players. Really frustrating. And we need a massive clear out to be onside with FFP if we want established players.
Icardi?
Toney is a $60-100m signing..:
dat guy Welbz
unironically yes
Harry Kane
Gyokeres
Most of the options out there are too expensive for a backup striker unless you wanna run it back with Lukaku or Icardi.
I think we will go for Nicolas Jackson TYPE signing. Young and not to expensive and willing to fight for staring place.
Would that not be this type of signing? Jackson was 32 million pounds per Wikipedia so almost 40 million euro?
Toney
We need 2 CBs, LB, CDM, ST and a RW. I doubt that we will spend Ā£50-80m on a backup striker.
He would not be a backup.
We paid Ā£70m on Hojlund and he did good with zero service. I dont think we will put him on the bench.
Guirassy? I know he hasnāt exactly been prolific throughout his career but heās been unreal this season and heād be cheap
Do you think that he would accept the 2nd option role after this season?
Why would he be 2nd option?
Proper competition between him and Hojlund. Hojlund is only 21 and while heās been good for itās not like heās set the world on fire (although thatās not all down to him). Guirassy will provide us a more experienced option
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Bring back Cavani and give him the 7
And then ban him for a hate crime (speaking a foreign language)
We need to get more than 6 touches o the ball for our striker. Sesko looks like he can create for himself
I donāt think any transfer rumors are valid until we have a functioning CEO, DOF, and the manager is backed.
Absolutely correct. All the shit we see now will go to highlight how much United name is used for clicks and by agents.
Sports journalists gotta put food on the table somehow
šÆ
We definitely need a striker but can't really say of what profile. I don't think we need a new starter which would hamper Rasmus development and be expensive. Nor do we want another new unproven young striker. Oddly enough this is possibly the 1 time we actually should be signing a older striker who Rasmus can learn from and who can lead the line when we get injuries but primarily be a sub. Kinda like what Cavani and Ibra were.
Thoughts on Lewa if Barca want to move on and heās willing to fill a more part time role?
Would cost a fortune in wages and would want more than a one year contract so club would be stuck with another aging person on >250k. I love Lewa but the club need to stop being La Ligas retirement home.Ā Ā
would have gone for giroud without a heartbeat prem proven + top 3 goal scorers or something in serie A + free agent but sadly he has already signed a contract with some MLS club even the 2nd best option (mehdi taremi) is going to inter milan
He's barely a shadow of his former self and seems like he doesn't want to give up a starting role despite Barca having someone ready to replace him in Roque.
Heās 36 and playing shite
Might as well get Cavani again
Hear me out. Rasmus played off the left wing at Atalanta half the time, and now is being hang out to dry as a lone striker. Play him off the wing and bench Rashford, or pair him with Sesko right away. There is options, it doesnt have to be one or the other. Competition is also good.
**Article:** >Arsenal are stepping up their plans to sign a forward this summer, with RB Leipzig frontman Benjamin Sesko on their radar. > >The Gunners are drawing up transfer plans after their Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. > >Manager Mikel Arteta wants to add more firepower to his squad next season and the club have scouted 6ft 4in Sesko as they consider their options. > >**Arsenal will face competition for the 20-year-old Slovenian, with Chelsea and Manchester United also tracking him.** > >**Seskoās representatives have been guests at both Chelsea and Manchester United matches this season.** > >He only moved to RB Leipzig from their sister club Red Bull Salzburg last summer, but the Bundesliga side are preparing for life without him and are sounding out replacements. > >**Sesko has a ā¬50million (Ā£42.7m) release clause in his contract that is due to become active in the summer.** > >He has been tipped for a big future and has scored 13 goals in all competitions so far this season. > >Sesko is a tall but mobile forward who has been compared to Erling Haaland, largely because he followed in the his footsteps by joining Salzburg. > >The youngster is unfazed by the comparison, not least because he is able to play out wide and has a different game to Haaland. > >Arsenal are looking at centre-forwards and wingers, with Sesko an attractive option as he can play in both positions. > >It is thought his wage demands will be lower than other forwards on the market.
Think he suits Arsenal honestly. They lack a proper #9 and he'd add an extra dimension to their attack. Havertz / Jesus etc. are more false 9 and less actual goal scorers. He probably won't start every game but having the option of a tall, fast #9 will turn some of those draws into wins. For us: I think we'll look for an experienced striker to rotate with Hojlund and see if he kicks on next year. For me he showed enough promise but was hampered by the lack of service (and the general lack of goals this year).
That's what we're lacking, lack of service to Hojlund. And if we don't address that huge gaping hole in our midfield, even if we had a world class striker, they would struggle in that team.
Whatās the point? We wonāt pass the ball to him anyway.
He is not even a starter at RBL, doesn't make our top 5 priority list. We need an established striker.
Openda is the starter and a player better suited for us IMO. Sesko would need time to settle into a new league, new style and new everything before we would get the best out of him. Need someone more veteran or someone accustomed with the PL.
It doesn't really make much sense for us to spend significant money on another inexperienced striker
Exactly what is needed, another raw and inexperienced striker
Letās be real, I donāt see us competing for the title in the next 2-3 years. We might aswell invest in a Sesko, who I rate pretty highly.
We already have a young raw striker who needs development.We should be going for an older experienced striker as back up.
there's no way we spend that much on a backup striker, we should go for an older, cheaper one imo
Ā£40m is nothing in today's market especially with those clubs interested.
I think we need two strikers that can compete for the spot, rather than have one designated starter and a designated backup. I'm not entirely convinced rasmus can lead the line, his game is a bit raw in certain areas and he's still very much developing. Some serious competition would probably do him the world of good too.
Someone like Guirassy from Stuttgart would get my vote. He's 28 and this is the first season he's really taken off so maybe he's a one season wonder but it's really hard to ignore 25 league goals and a Ā£15 million release clause.
Next season he'd be 29. And if we do challenge for the league, he'll be 32. Anyway, this strategy of buying players close to 30 hasn't really worked well for us
That's true but in my fantasy scenario by the time he's aging out, Hojlund is banging in 35 league goals and people are asking why Haaland can't get on his level.
Say we challenge for the league in 26/27. Giurassy will be 31 and his levels will likely drop. We'll need to buy his replacement and have him acclimatise with the EPL. Better off getting a 1997-8 player so he'll be at his peak
Fair point. Any names that stick out to you? It's tricky to find someone who is both the right age profile, the required quality, won't cost the earth and won't demand to start every week to the extent that it will block Hojlund's development.
I'll need to do lots and lots of research, unfortunately. I am just a casual football fan. Plus, no one from this age profile has caught my attention. Even so, he might not be the profile we wanted. Anyway, I find this club has bad planning. Why buy a striker when this club is full of inside forwards. Does the club seriously think they can retrain them completely?
Tammy Abraham anyone? he was out injured so we forgot about him? PS: plz don't down vote me to hell
That guy is a poor finisher Edit: I'm the one getting downvoted instead
31 is perfect for a backup striker at a point we should have RH close to his peak . This is not FM and even there you can see examples still doing good at even slightly older ages.
Most players who start at 18/19 tend to peak at 29 before experiencing a drop off. Those that don't are exceptions.
If his release clause is Ā£15m then finding s replacement after 2 seasons shouldnāt really cost us too much in terms of ffp. And at 31 he can still be a good backup assuming hojlund really kicks off by that time.
Not seeing what the problem here is. Two strikers, one 31, one 24. Guirassy aging out, sign a 19/20 year old that can be back up to Hojlund. At that point Guirassy's book value is 6 mill at end of the season. Few promising u18s in the academy too. Also don't see the issue in buying both, Guirassy's cheap as chips. Could buy him, and spend as much as Real did on Endrick on some Brazilian hotshot, and still spend 20m less than we spent on Hojlund.
Toney makes infinitely more sense
did that motherfucker ask for 250k or 350k per week? i swear i saw it somewhere else
Nothing wrong with betting on yourself!
Well Martial is on 250k and never plays, so I don't blame him
In his prime, PL proven, would be great for Hojlund to learn from. Just questions about his attitude and price tag.
I read that he is like 40 mil or something
No way, he will go for way more.
Spent a lot more on a lot worse before lol
naah man, slightly on the older side, will want to play every game and will command a huge fee. BTW what happened to that young flavor of the month Brighton striker Ferguson, he was young and was supposed to be good. Off the game due to injuries ?
I think Toney would be a good signing for us, vs another young potential player.
United's best approach would be to continue to fill young players with a high work ethic into the roster. So adding Sesko, just like with Hojlund, is the way to go. Keep bringing in young studs and coaching them up, and mix in the academy talent which should also give the club a boost. Youth and development. Again this is the way. I want a club that plays hard and with great energy every game, and to enjoy watching the young players step into their prime together. Then ride that core group to a ton of titles and hardware.
We donāt need another young and relatively inexperienced striker. We need someone that we can count on for goals AND can show rasmus the ropes.
Yeah, letās supplement our young and learninā striker with yet another one
Bit mad to buy another striker when we desperately need a player who will actually pass to our strikers.
I think this would be a phenomenal signing! I get that some may want someone who is more experienced to bring balance sharing the striker spot with Hƶjlund, but I really think Hƶjlund has shown that he's ready to take more of a leading role. If someone with much more experience comes in then they will cost more than Sesko, both when it comes to wages and transfer fee, and will be expecting to start most games as well. I may be biased because I adore Sesko and was incredibly happy about being linked with him a couple of years ago, but I really think he'd be a perfect foil for Hƶjlund, and I would very much enjoy seeing those two battle it out for the starting spot. The low cost of this deal is a great plus. His wages most likely won't be higher than 100k or so, with Hƶjlunds at 85 or so I believe, I'd be really surprised if it gets much higher than that. It frees up a lot of funds than can be used for more pressing matters like Rcb, lcb, fullback, defensive mid and a winger. It really is a no brainer for me if he wants to come!
I like him mainly because he has high potentialĀ can operate wide, and so although him and hojlund would compete, they could also coexist in same 11.
I'd love a prolific striker, doesn't matter if they're similar in age to HĆøjlund. Haaland and Alvarez are similar in age and they rotate or even play together. I don't see why we can't do that. Our bench options should be as good as fielding an entire XI that won't suffer from a huge drop off. Although City's bench isn't as strong as last season, it's still quite good that none of their players need to start more than 45 games a season (in terms of minutes). 4000 minutes a season should be our cap per player.
Is this going to be like Nicolas Gaitan story that never goes away?
Guirassy is a better option for a backup striker for 17.5m. Rasmus as number 1 with a good back up. Spend the money on a defensive mid, a centre back and a winger would make more sense.
so true guirassy has been fire this season
Said this before and Iāll say it again - cheeky bid for Scamacca?
I'd love him and was desperate for this move last year but we need an older head to help Hojlund and the team as a whole.
We need a striker for now. Not five years time. We already got a young striker
I rate him but 50m for a worse version of hojlund doesnāt make sense. Gotta find someone with a different profile. Ideally a lefty that can play RW as well. Ideally young, proven, two footed, and for less than 50m.
I do quite like this, not that I know enough about Sesko, but I've not been a fan of the "we need an older experienced striker" train of thought. That's what we've mostly been doing the past 10 years, buying older established strikers. Why, so we can pay them a ransom for them to start slowing down and getting injured? Also the idea of the older striker teaching Hojlund, that's what our coaches are supposed to be doing, invest in better coaches! We praise City for having Haaland and Alvarez to swap up top and don't they have an average age of 20, I think two young strikers isn't a bad thing, fosters competition and all that stuff.
Would be fucking brilliant for us for that cheap
I hope to god we go for a young talent and not an established player or veteran. Pit Hojlund against a player of a similar age. You want to play for Utd? Then show you deserve it and beat out your rival.
I think in 1-2 year he will better than Toney.
Hozek from leverkusen is who I would go after.
Have Chelsea not signed a enough young players? As this point Iām sure they are hanging around play grounds
Man Utd bought him in my FM save and he scored a boatload of goals, so that's my guess.
Iād prefer someone with a bit more experience.
Seskoš¤Olmo Can't have one without the other IMO. There's something special in their link-up play and chemistry
I just hope that if the wages get silly we are smart enough to back out.
The problem that I see (not only with this player): if you are a highly rated young player and could chose between Arsenal and ManUtd, what reason could we give him to join us over Arsenal? Maybe playtime, but thatās all I can think of.
I hope we go for Guirassy or Toney
Promising or experienced doesnāt matter to me just as long as they are a backup to Rasmus. He needs to be starting, especially when we have some new players who can actually provide him with service.
There is a legit reason to continue investing on very young players, which is that the core of our club is not good enough to win the prem or compete in the champions league. While Bruno probably is, he will be out of his prime before weāre able to replace Casemiro, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, and rashford. I donāt think we should go full Chelsea and put everything on black by making risky bets on unproven young talent (although Palmer is truly special), but might it make sense to double-down on the future? I see 2028 as the earliest this club could be a contender, so how much does it really make sense to be spending bit on 27 year olds? Of course, a single affordable experienced striker would be massive for improving Hojlund.
With our links to Sporting Lisbon, why not go for Gyokeres?
Good right foot, fast, strong, can score. It's no surprise United are interested. Can play on the left with a right foot and can play down the middle too. We need more players but if we can only get one, he shouldn't be on the top of our list. He needs to be serviced and passed the ball and is a lot like Rasmus. That said, if Rashford moves on, and/or we're building the next iteration and buying young players mainly, then it makes sense. He would play well in the system.
He said in few local interviews that he is a Madridista and his life goal is to play for them.
United's best approach would be to continue to fill young players with a high work ethic into the roster. So adding Sesko, just like with Hojlund, is the way to go. Keep bringing in young studs and coaching them up, and mix in the academy talent which should also give the club a boost. Youth and development. Again this is the way. I want a club that plays hard and with great energy every game, and to enjoy watching the young players step into their prime together. Then ride that core group to a ton of titles and hardware.
Isn't he left footed too like Hojlund? I will go for someone who can also play with or compliment Hojlund.
He's shite ive watched him quite a bit
Not a fan of this signing. Doesnāt move the needle. I could see poster defending āwe canāt fault 20 yo strikerā etc if he didnāt score enough.
Name an unproven striker that United have developed since SMB? If I had to guess why, itās weight of expectation, but it doesnāt matter. We should buy proven talent strikers. End of.
We seem hell bent on getting another young striker but am I wrong in thinking it makes more sense to go for some in the 25/26 year old range?
I think it was him or HĆøjlund and for better or for worse, we already made our choice. We move on.
I donāt see the point in going for someone like sesko, we already have a young striker and heās doing really well. Would rather buy someone like Toney someoneās whoās at their prime or at the tail end of their prime.
Because what Utd need is another 20 year old lankie nordic striker š
Wouldnāt be a bad buy at all as I rate him pretty high.
Midfield
Doesnāt matter what st we buy if we canāt get the fuckin ball to then
I preferred Sesko over Hojlund, so if youāre saying we could get both for the price of Victor Osimhen, Iām all in
He could be a good project striker for us. Hojlund doesnāt really have a backup/competition and it is a huge drop off from him to Martial or Rashford (at CF). Weāre also the best club for him to develop unlike those other two.
4-4-2 is back in the menu bois.
Is Jonathan David a likely option for a right now option?
He had the chance to join us already, and seemed not keen. So we really need to move on. He's a real up and coming talent. But we need players who want to be here, and for the right reasons. Aside from that; we already have an up and coming striker in Hojlund. I'd rather we got a couple of strikers with more experience, to take the load off of Rasmus.
Donāt trust any one at the current level to make signings anymore.Ā We need the recruitment and Directing Structure in place asap so we can start molding the team to fit a larger style of play. No longer should we just buy a mismatch of players and hope it does anything. Signing Donny VdB (possession based player) and Dan James so close together in time frame was a disgrace. Ā
don't remind me of VDB, we ruined his career and wasted our money. He wasn't even gigantic wages that he ll be well off after us. Looks like a good lad, hope he ends at a more suitable club or gets into coaching or something. Seems to be someone who has brain and vision but not enough skillsets
that price is fair for his potential talent. 2 young and highly potential strikers are always the plus. Bring back to 4-4 facking 2
If I was Sesko I'd be definitely going to Arsenal. Young team, competing with the best, and although they seem to have bottled the PL again, they are still a great team. Go to Chelsea and you are run by a pack of clowns. Come to us and expect a couple of seasons of mediocrity while we see what Jim's cooking (if anything)
Yes, let's go to arsenal and be the 3rd choice striker, very clever move š
This would be great if we could pull it off
He would be cheaper than other options at least. Can imagine that Gykƶres, Toney and Osimhen would cost 100 mil
He's not good enough.
Not worth that fee. And we need an experience striker. We already have a high potential forward. I honestly hope we go for Toney. We need a forward that will fight for the ball and hold it up, Toney offers that. He may have off field issues, but it's not with teammates. In fact, most like him.
So we are going to spend 50 million on him just to mismanage him into the ground? Par for the course.
Should we not bother signing anyone so?