Rumours are that Santa cruz is 'united bound'. If he manages to stay injury free, then he's really all we really need. The best thing going for him is he won't break up the Tevez/Rooney partnership, and he's also a proven goalscorer in the PL. I know he's not the 'big name' striker that everyone wants but as I said, if he manages to stay away from injuries, he'll be a good signing.
Berbatov
- Thread starter GusHiddink
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
- Status
Apart from the odd article in The Sun, I've heard nothing concrete on this at all.
As I say, it's all paper talk at the moment. We won't really know who we are after, until the Euro's are over.
Surely you should be over the moon if a player like Santa Cruz is actually our target? As it means we won't end up breaking the Rooney/Tevez partnership.
Exactly.
Good post.
I highly doubt Santa will be with youse lot next season. You'd like to think SAF would have learned his lesson from all the problems he has had with Saha. To big of a risk, as he will be likely to cost in the region of £15m.
From what I've seen of him this season, he very much fits the bill. Fast, strong, good finisher, good in the air....etc. My only concern is that he has a horrendous injury record, and was never prolific at Bayern. I worry that he may be one of those one season wonders in the PL.
Id take Berba over Santa Cruz anyday
How many times did they line up as a striking partnership in a 442 this season? Why did Ronaldo play as a striker?
Well of course, different gravy. But Berbatov would cost us about twice as much, and the most important question is if we could still maintain the Tevez/Rooney partnership if we bring him in.
Don't see why Berba wouldnt slot right in, also it's not like Tevez started every game last year
Look how many goals AJ scored for Palace in the premiership. Don't get me wrong Santa is a good player, but Berbatov would bring a lot more to the table than Santa ever could.
They lined up most games in a 442 as a partnership. Ronaldo played as a striker once or twice for us away from home because of tactics. The only other time Ronaldo has played up front for us really is when we are short on strikers (i.e. Rooney injured/rested)
The only way he would slot right in is if we either change our formation from the 442/424 formation we play or if we adopt a rotation policy. If Ronaldo ends up leaving this summer, then I'd be more than happy if we splash the cash on Berbatov.
I concur, and also he is less injury prone, look at Saha he would be a perfect player for United as he is when fit and on form but it doesnt happen very often, that's my biggest worry about SC, that said Berba is far more talented all around
Again, don't get me wrong. They make a good partnership, but if Utd want to build on their success, then they need some more variety upfront. The variety Ole and Saha would have brought, had they not been injured.
Portsmouth in the FA Cup is a good example of when you needed to be able to mix it up a bit. The more variety you have in your front line, the better equipped you are to break down particular teams.
I'm very happy at the variety we have at Arsenal in our attacking line.
Eduardo
Adebayor
Van Persie
Walcott
Bendtner
All bring something different to the table. Its the kind of variety you are going to need if you are going to be able to retain those trophies of yours.
I totally agree mate.
I've been saying this for ages, the one thing our attack really misses is a pacy striker that can play on the shoulder of the last defender. A player in the ilk of Eto'o, Saha, Villa etc
Hopefully we can get Manucho's work permit, as he can be our target man. So we then have our two players that can come deep (Tevez & Rooney), and our target man (Manucho), leaving us only one forward away from our complete set. Who that forward is? Well, that's anybody's guess.
But a strikerforce of....
Rooney
Tevez
Manucho
'Pacy forward'
Looks good to me. There is a lot of variety, and all bases are covered really.
Agreed. Well its probably going to be a long summer of you guys waiting. Just don't be too surprised/dissapointed if its Berbs.
To be totally honest, I wouldn't be that surprised. And, if it was him, I would give him a clean slate, as I would and do for any United signing. Once we have signed a player, I offer them my full support.
I think Walcott looks more like a winger than a striker for your lot. I also dont rate Bendtner too much but he is pretty young and can improve if he has more chances.
He wouldn't be warming the bench 70% of the time. Berbatov, Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo - one of them would generally be on the bench most games. Berbatov and Tevez most often, but it would allow us to rest Rooney and Ronaldo sometimes as well. And the one that was on the bench would almost always come on for about half an hour at the end. Occasionally we'd even play all four from the start. None would feel like 'back-up'. They'd all be first teamers, with one of them often being rested.
This is an excellent post. Football is no longer about playing the same 11 guys in your team every game for the full 90 minutes, something that people tend to forget sometimes. A new striker would get game time almost every week, as would Rooney and Tevez.
He was never prolific due to injury. So one wonders if this injury free season he had is a sign that like one Wesley Brown he is finally over his long standing injury problems. If he is. He would be perfect for us right now. If we want to keep the Rooney-Tevez partnership intact
Santa Cruz is injury prone. I wouldnt want him at OT.
Do you care to expand on that statement then?
I do not believe there will be a problem if the striker we signed wasnt particularlly pacey, ie berbatov he wold be fine, i get the feeling you dont think he would fit into our side why is this sam? He is great at finding space behind the defense and is a top finisher.
Everything points in favor of him succeeding at old trafford, the only 'problem' is his supposed attitude, but under ferguson and in our team that will not be a problem, and they will all be kept happy as mad dogg pointed out in a previous post.
According to an acknowledged Spurs ITK the 3 main interested parties for Berbatov are the 'Italian,Yank and Spainard' (sp), which I presume means one of the Milan clubs, MUFC and Barca.
I imagine that he'd be willing to join any of those clubs, so as far as Spurs are concerned, and if this info. is accurate, it will be a likely just be question of which one meets (or has already met) the asking price.
From what other Spurs ITKs have previously said, the minimum asking price is less if he goes abroad, but significantly more if he goes to a Prem club.
The Spurs ITK I mentioned above seems pretty sure (tho' his style of passing on info is eccentric, so it's often hard to tell) that Berbatov will go to one of these three. If true, I'd guess this means that at least one of these clubs (and very possibly all three) have met this asking price - but that's just speculation on my part.
If all three clubs have met the minimum asking price, it would likely just be a question of which one is willing to pay the most beyond that minimum. In which case, if Fergie really really wants Berbatov then he has competition (if this info. is correct) and will have to bite the bullet: it won't be cheap.
For reasons I won't go into I'm not vouching 100% for this info (but nor am I saying it's wrong) - just throwing it into the mix for consideration.
I imagine that he'd be willing to join any of those clubs, so as far as Spurs are concerned, and if this info. is accurate, it will be a likely just be question of which one meets (or has already met) the asking price.
From what other Spurs ITKs have previously said, the minimum asking price is less if he goes abroad, but significantly more if he goes to a Prem club.
The Spurs ITK I mentioned above seems pretty sure (tho' his style of passing on info is eccentric, so it's often hard to tell) that Berbatov will go to one of these three. If true, I'd guess this means that at least one of these clubs (and very possibly all three) have met this asking price - but that's just speculation on my part.
If all three clubs have met the minimum asking price, it would likely just be a question of which one is willing to pay the most beyond that minimum. In which case, if Fergie really really wants Berbatov then he has competition (if this info. is correct) and will have to bite the bullet: it won't be cheap.
For reasons I won't go into I'm not vouching 100% for this info (but nor am I saying it's wrong) - just throwing it into the mix for consideration.
Interesting... keep us updated
As a spurs fan how highly do you rate him and do you think he is what we need? and how well do you think he will do with us? cheers
He's a fantastic player with tremendous skill and vision. There's very little he can't do: he scores goals, creates goals and is excellent both in the air and on the ground. He's strong, not slow, with a very good first touch. His passing skills are excellent and he almost never gives the ball away or has it taken off him. He can play up front alone if needed, or with other strikers.
I'll leave others to say whether or not you need him, but IMO he'd do very well for you. I can't think of anyone who'd do better.
But none of them are really in the top band of strikers, Adebayor is on the verge and Van Persie has the ability but has been too injury prone to back up any claims of him being a really great striker. Walcott and Bendtner have potential, obviously Walcott has more. Eduardo was definitely a good buy for you and will do well in your team for a long while to come, but I don't think he'll ever be in that top brand of strikers.
Agree with every comment about Berbs. As for someone who might be better, Eto'o and Benzema comes to thought but still all the strikers mentioned have a different strength and it's up to Ferguson to bring the best out of them.
Benzema might not be better but surely if you've watched him he has the potential to be one of the best strikers.
I agree with you on Berbatov, he is the one player that i really envy playing for you. Hopefully, soon i won't have to, that is what i am predicting anyways.
Who do you think he would choose:
Utd
Barca
Inter (Mourinho has talked him up before, i think it will be him in competition for Berbatovs signature)
Now, you may talk of him not wanting to turn his back on Spurs fans (not that they mind - Utd being their second club) who do you think he would choose?
Consider us being European Champions, not in transition and playing beautiful football.
He will sign in the next 2 weeks
I very much agree with all that, id love to have him here, in turn it would also let rooney drop back to his natural position.
We need him!
I dont think anyone would do better, Benzema maybe in the future but we need that experience and coolness in our youthful team, do you think he is defiantly out this summer then?
By the end of next season, Van Persie and Adebayor will arguably be in the 'top band of strikers'. But thats just me speculating on how both will do if they avoid injury. Eduardo brings something different to our team, He's a great finisher, and depending on how he recovers from his injury, I fully expect him to get goals for us in the future. He can play wide also, as can Walcott and Van Persie. That leaves Walcott and Bendtner who are young, but have bags of potential, and both have proved they can come off the bench and have big impacts on the pitch. Bendtner against Spurs, Walcott against Liverpool, and thats just naming a couple of examples.
The point is; at the moment we've got the perfect balance. If all 5 were in the 'top band of strikers' it would simply be impossible to accommodate all of them in our team next year.
I don't think it'd be a question of him choosing - I'm sure he'd be happy to sign for any of those 3 if Spurs agree a deal.Who do you think he would choose:
Utd
Barca
Inter (Mourinho has talked him up before, i think it will be him in competition for Berbatovs signature)
He will sign in the next 2 weeks
Aa far as Spurs are concerned, it'd simply be a question of who offers the most money beyond the miminum asking price.
Why i don't agree...
You have a balance - not perfect by our standard.
I will dissect:
Van Persie - Dutch. One minute he is the dogs bollocks and the next he is as injury prone as Darren Anderton. Uncertain as to whether he will fulfill his potential.
Adebayor - amazing transformation from blundering oaf to clinical striker. He terrorises defences, but still has that inner prat just waiting to be let out. Still one of the top strikers in the premiership on his day. Is he going to stay?
Walcott - Has done feck all. Shows a brilliant turn of speed, great pace but still way off fitting into the football you advocate and play. Would be better off playing for us.
Eduardo - crocked. Started to look very good befored his crash - will take a long time to get back playing with the confidence that he had. Where does he play though? He is instinctually a striker but Wenger kept putting him on the left wing - where he played well but not necessarily to to the best of his abilities.
Bendter - fluff. Big leap, decent feet but nothing special. Should be playing in central defence. Can't see him making much of an impact at Arsenal - but will line your pockets when you decide to sell.
Too much potential potential there and in terms of forming a partnership i don't see anything special.
You have a balance - not perfect by our standard.
I will dissect:
Van Persie - Dutch. One minute he is the dogs bollocks and the next he is as injury prone as Darren Anderton. Uncertain as to whether he will fulfill his potential.
Adebayor - amazing transformation from blundering oaf to clinical striker. He terrorises defences, but still has that inner prat just waiting to be let out. Still one of the top strikers in the premiership on his day. Is he going to stay?
Walcott - Has done feck all. Shows a brilliant turn of speed, great pace but still way off fitting into the football you advocate and play. Would be better off playing for us.
Eduardo - crocked. Started to look very good befored his crash - will take a long time to get back playing with the confidence that he had. Where does he play though? He is instinctually a striker but Wenger kept putting him on the left wing - where he played well but not necessarily to to the best of his abilities.
Bendter - fluff. Big leap, decent feet but nothing special. Should be playing in central defence. Can't see him making much of an impact at Arsenal - but will line your pockets when you decide to sell.
Too much potential potential there and in terms of forming a partnership i don't see anything special.
I know that, I'm just saying that at this moment in time none of them are in the top band of strikers. Adebayor is the only one close, and there is always a possibility last season he just had a good season.
If what your ITK says is true then isn't it more likely that Spurs will be selling to us since they know they can get more than if he's going abroad?
Ahh logical, nice.
Driving a hard bargain, clever Spurs.
Will be closer to 25 than 30 but certainly between these two yardsticks.
No. What's being said is that there are two different minimum prices. One for him going to a Prem club and a lower one if he goes abroad. Whichever club bid meets that minimum - or exceeds it by the most amount if more than one club is involved - will get him.
This means that if (shall we say) the min. Prem price is 30m and the min. overseas price is 25m, then if MUFC bid 30m and Barca or Milan bid 26m, he'd go abroad since they would have exceeded the min. price and and MUFC wouldn't have.
The logic behind this is dubious IMO, since I'd prefer the most money regardless of where he goes, but that appears to be the club's position because, I guess, whilst there's more money sloshing around the Prem than in other leagues they'd ideally prefer him not to strengthen another Prem club, but to go abroad instead.
Sorry, that is purely my fault, because I'm against the transfer, I admit I've given the impression that I don't rate him and that he wouldn't succeed.
Which isn't the case. I do rate him (not as much as some others though) and I do think he'd do well, however, I would much prefer we bought a younger, pacy striker for the money being touted around, as I think they'd do even better. But, hey, that's just me. And I admit, I'm slowly coming round to the idea of Berbatov, although I'm yet to be fully convinced. And £30 million is ridiculous, in fact, it's totally insane.
the logic is pretty straight forward IMO, and if i were levy/spurs i'd have the same policy. spurs have ambitions to be in the top four. why strengthen a top four competitor. it could be worth more to them long term if they lose out on 4-5 million quid by selling berbatov to a foreign club and that way not strengthen a domestic competitor. breaking into the top four isworth a lot more than 4-5 million etra quid.
- Status