Exactly. Add to that the fact we can't occupy Ozil in his favoured role. If we sold Rooney, then yeah, whatever. He's done really well, which is to be expected with all the space the Premier League gives players, compared to La Liga.
Mesut Özil
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Exactly. Add to that the fact we can't occupy Ozil in his favoured role. If we sold Rooney, then yeah, whatever. He's done really well, which is to be expected with all the space the Premier League gives players, compared to La Liga.
"Dont need him, we have Rooney and Kagawa... Till the summer"
If you bought him for 42.5 million, you'd find a way to fit him in.
Why would we spend that much money on a player we had to 'find a way' to fit in?
No, I dont think we would have. With Rooney still here, there is no way he'd have played behind the striker which is where he's at his best. We'd have stuck him out wide where he wouldnt have looked a 43mil player.
The thought of Ozil rooted to the touchline in our current 442, with Rooney cemented alongside Van Persie 30 yards away from him is why that £42 million price tag is enough to give me nightmares.
Hopefully one day we will have Januzaj behind the striker with no thoughts of "I wish we didn't pay £42m for Ozil who keeps Adnan out of his best position".
That's the dream
Because hes the best replacement for Rooney
Doesn't Rooney want to play up front, and you as a team lack creativity, and Ozil would be exactly the player to add that creativity?
Ozil being a much better player than Kagawa, it probably would have been a lot easier to play as a 10 with either Rooney/RVP up top. Kagawa doesn't give Moyes (nor gave SAF) that kinda headache.
With Rooney playing up front in a 442 alongside Van Persie, where exactly will Ozil provide that creativity from? One of Rooney or Van Persie would need dropped to accommodate Ozil in his most effective position. And you don't spend that kind of money on a player unless you intend on utilising him in exactly his best position.
It's possible to utilise players effectively out of their ideal position though, Ozil is capable of drifting centrally and wide and Rooney can play up front while also pulling back when he needs to. I don't think the idea that Ozil would cancel out Rooney or vice versa is particularly valid.
It is. But over the past couple of seasons, and I'm seeing no particular change so far under Moyes, we are not a team with anything like the kind of movement and ingenuity that could facilitate such a set up. I've said it before, but I honestly believe we could sign Iniesta and he would look like a shadow of the player he really is. Comically rooted to the touchline while all of the idiotic pundits and supporters question his adaptability to the Premier League. I can picture it now.
If we were playing progressively and our players didn't stand still like zombies then Ozil would fit quite nicely. But we don't and we aren't. Right now, all I see is Rooney playing even higher up the pitch, isolating an already mobile midfield, while we expect our wingers to take on the world. He's better off at Arsenal.
You simply don't spend 42.5 million on a player when you have someone of comparable talent and style coming through the ranks. We rightfully had no interest in getting him here and considering what Januzaj has shown so far, its a good decision by the club.
Januzaj could easily play in the same team. Had no impact on the choice. Moyes named Rooney and Kagawa (a player he admitted he didnt know anything about till weeks into the season) as the reasons we didnt "need" Ozil. But Rooney wont be here long
Surely that's not true. If Januzaj fulfils the talent he's shown he won't be the player Ozil is for a few years.
I'd much rather use that £42.5m on a good midfielder, rather than a #10, of which we have many.
But are any doing the job?
They could, but why sign Ozil for all that money when we have more pressing issues and Januzaj is a similar type of player that's a few years away from reaching a similar level. Add to that Kagawa and Rooney, the opportunity cost simply outweighs the value he'd add to the team.
How so?
What job?
Ozil is arguably the best in his position in the world, I would say it's going to take at least a few years for Januzaj to reach that sort of level.
Being the #10 you need? I'm not arguing by the way, I'm asking because the consensus on this forum seems to be you lack creativity in midfield. There are few who provide more than Mesut Ozil.
It's not a #10 we need, it's a creative midfielder. A Fabregas or Thiago, if you will.
Ah, to dare to dream.
We dont know that Adnan will ever reach that level. You cant just assume it. Ozil is one of the best players in the world
A few years is the time we have. That's what developing youngsters is all about. Don't think it'll take half as long as you suspect. Reckon he'll be there in 2-3 years time.
What Ekeke said. I think Januzaj is a great talent, but to think in three years he'll be the player Ozil is is pretty extreme, and not the attitude most clubs would take.
We can't assume he won't either. We'll have to wait and see and if he doesn't, perhaps then look for alternatives. I however see no reason why he won't. He's one of the finest talents in world football and barring injury what's going to stop him? This is what developing youngsters is all about.
I see no disparity in the potential ozil was showing in 09 when he totally tore the England U21 side to what Januzaj is currently showing.
I don't think Ozil wasn't signed or tried to be signed because Adnan Januzay was already at the club. I think it's because our style of play doesn't call for a player like Ozil. Utd under SAF and so far under Moyes play a type of football where a player like Ozil would look toothless and a tenth of the player he really is.
It was a more style and tactic issue than a possibly talented player already present at the club.
It was a more style and tactic issue than a possibly talented player already present at the club.
We're not even playing with a #10, which is the biggest worry of all. I'm one of those that don't like Rooney there, but even so, I'd sooner see him link the play than not link the play at all. In the games that he's dropped deeper - Leverkusen and Sociedad at home - we've looked so much better and created plenty of opportunities. I'd rather see one of Kagawa or Januzaj as the #10 and Rooney up top, but that would need a change in formation, so I can only sit and whinge about it on here.
Ozil would provide creativity if played as a #10, without doubt. But we have three very good players that can play there, one of which is under-utilised there as it is. Like Cina said, I'd much prefer to see £40 million spent on a creative player that can play in the middle of the park. If Rooney was to leave then this may be a different story, as it would allow for a change in style and formation that could accommodate Ozil as well as the likes of Adnan and Shinji.
Ozil in 2010(22 years of age) was on a similar level to what he currently is now. Who's to say that Januzaj when he's 21-22 won't be there? He's got the ability IMO. Or do you think there's a difference in talent level between the two players or maybe young Ozil had qualities that Januzaj doesn't have?
Its an attitude we have because we've done it before and the fruits of this labour can be amazing. Barca signing Fabregas was seen as a mistake to many Barca fans because they already had Thiago coming through the ranks, who they've now lost because of that signing. Signing ozil could've had the same ramifications for us. Hence I'm happy we didn't try to sign him regardless of how good he is.
Young talents don't often turn into world class players. It's rare. Januzaj has played like five games, and the signing of Ozil would've happened before he'd stepped up like he has. And also Januzaj could've developed well with Ozil. I don't see why you wouldn't want both.
What is for certain is that at the age of 18, Ozil wasn't winning games for a club like Manchester United, nor was he was one the best performers at said club. Furthermore, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I've never seen Ozil dribble with the ball in the way that Januzaj does.
I think some people are a little edgy about making bold predictions about this lad, but the reality is that there isn't an 18 year old on the planet doing anything like he's doing at this moment in time, and I'm fairly confident he'll turn out to be one of the best attacking midfielders about. Of course, anything can happen with attitude and injury over time, but in terms of skill set, I think he's got it all. You look at the likes of Silva, Ozil and Mata, and as brilliant as they are, they can't dribble like Januzaj does. When you consider his vision and how mature his game already is at such a young age, you can't help but get excited.
I think some people are a little edgy about making bold predictions about this lad, but the reality is that there isn't an 18 year old on the planet doing anything like he's doing at this moment in time, and I'm fairly confident he'll turn out to be one of the best attacking midfielders about. Of course, anything can happen with attitude and injury over time, but in terms of skill set, I think he's got it all. You look at the likes of Silva, Ozil and Mata, and as brilliant as they are, they can't dribble like Januzaj does. When you consider his vision and how mature his game already is at such a young age, you can't help but get excited.
Of course we can assume he wont. Lots of young players dont live up to expectation due to stagnating and injuries. Januzaj might be one of the lucky ones, but we cant just replace our whole team with potential because in a couple of years they might be as good as the best players in the world. They have to prove that over time
It takes more than talent to be a world class footballer.
I can't believe we passed up on him, he's so versatile across the 3 roles behind the striker, we lost out IMO.
Of course, but regarding a lot of genuinely big talents like Rooney, Ronaldo or Owen, there were already world class attributes evident even at the age of 17 and 18. That seems to be the case with Januzaj too. He's a player that you just know will become a world class player as long as he keeps himself on track and works extremely hard. That's possibly your point though, talent isn't always enough when a player doesn't work hard enough.
Yeah. Look at Andy Carroll for example.