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Ryan Bertrand

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Red London

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Thiago Silva and Cavani? Milner. That's withoiyt even thinking.
They don't do it as consistently as we do if we sign Bertrand. Also, Cavani and Thiago Silva are 1+1 deals no? And they were still class players before joining.

Liverpool signed Milner when they were being run differently and not even in the top 4, and they hit the jackpot with him but he showed signs he would be able to play well into his 30s.
 

bingobob

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They don't do it as consistently as we do if we sign Bertrand. Also, Cavani and Thiago Silva are 1+1 deals no? And they were still class players before joining.

Liverpool signed Milner when they were being run differently and not even in the top 4, and they hit the jackpot with him but he showed signs he would be able to play well into his 30s.
I misread your post tbf my bad. But United have still signed a few older players in recent years. Zlatan, Bastian to go along with Cavani. I think they signed Valdes as well in recent years? RVP wasn't a spring chicken either if we go back a bit further.

Anyway we haven't had a lot of success but that doesn't mean signing Bertrand is a mistake. He is a bit older than I'd like but I'm not ageist.
 

Red London

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I misread your post tbf my bad. But United have still signed a few older players in recent years. Zlatan, Bastian to go along with Cavani. I think they signed Valdes as well in recent years? RVP wasn't a spring chicken either if we go back a bit further.

Anyway we haven't had a lot of success but that doesn't mean signing Bertrand is a mistake. He is a bit older than I'd like but I'm not ageist.
RvP was the difference maker for a title win, and almost a present to SAF so he can leave with a trophy. United buying players like Zlatan, Bastien etc was exactly the era I have been talking about. It was an unsuccessful period for them.
 

bingobob

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RvP was the difference maker for a title win, and almost a present to SAF so he can leave with a trophy. United buying players like Zlatan, Bastien etc was exactly the era I have been talking about. It was an unsuccessful period for them.
Was it though? They won the Europa League and ultimately began building the squad they have now as a result. And that's where we are at now. We are building. Sometimes you need those stop gaps to bring through players. You know they'll be there for a few years and then gone meanwhile they help shield younger players so they can be brought through gradually.
 

Red London

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Was it though? They won the Europa League and ultimately began building the squad they have now as a result. And that's where we are at now. We are building. Sometimes you need those stop gaps to bring through players. You know they'll be there for a few years and then gone meanwhile they help shield younger players so they can be brought through gradually.
As in it wasn't successful to them because they completely abandoned that approach. It was quite clear how much they changed in the first summer of Ole's tenure. They went for a mainly British core; signing Maguire and AWB. They made sure they had a manager who liked playing young players and improving. And they only tried to sign players who improve them i.e. Fernandes (i know they signed VDB but he is probably the Pogba replacement).

They realised they need to settle and weather the storm for a bit with an unproven manager and maybe not the best squad in the world. But now they have built a really strong core that they can add to and improve. They are a much bigger sum of their parts than they were a few years ago, and I think thats down to slowing everything down, making sure they get rid of all the mercenaries and rebuilding. We have done some of those things i.e. bringing a young manager (perhaps he doesnt play young/promising players as much as he should sometimes), and we are tryna clear out the mercenaries i.e Özil or just senior players on high wages regardless of the situation. We are ridding of cliques and we should be replacing them with young and hungry players. I know some of our last contract signings weren't / won't be intended for being in the first team but I think its about more than that.

I'm not really bothered to go into the detail of how important squad and player motivation is these days considering all players are more self serving entities than they used to be, who identify themself as a 'team' with their agents more than their clubs (a lot of the time), but I am sure you are aware of what I mean. Dressing rooms no longer automatically police themselves, you need to sign the right kind of players and the right kind of profile and piece everything together quite nicely to get a Liverpool.
 

L3T5 PL4Y

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Our situation here is quite a bit different. We don't have CL football, aren't league contenders, not a lot of HG players, we're letting go of a hell lot of experienced players and don't have a lot of cash to play with. We have a set starter in his place who is pretty young to bring in a young talented player who'd want and need games. Signing Bertrand for a couple of years while looking for a young talent makes sense.
 

bingobob

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@Red London didn't Zlatan play a part in helping to develop Rashford and Martial. Here is a guy that you can look upto but also a guy that will carry a huge burden for the team? Bastian playing at the time McTominay is coming through the youth ranks. What a player to look upto. Matic a bit younger but still relatively old who can be someone to look up. Meanwhile Rashford, Martial, McTominay mature and can begin to carry the weight themselves, and even then United still sign Cavani.

There is a place for older players. I can see the need for them in our team. We've a lot of young guys who will dip, tire, need a break, who will make mistakes and older players can protect them. Willian has been a human shield for Pepe and Nelson this season.

As for Liverpool their oldest starter is out injured and the wheels have fell off. You need a blend IMO. There is a place for older players just as there is a place for younger players and those in between. It's about the right number balancing each other. Too many old players you stop the natural transition, too many young players you lack the experience to deal with certain things that happen. Too many in between you risk wrecking thr natural equilibrium between people who are bit parts and first teamers.

Edit. Everything I said could be wrong of course. It's just an opinion after all :)
 
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Iceman10

Established Member
Looks like this could flame out, at least for this window. Write-up says Southampton don’t want to sell him this month, they would be left short on LB’s.

 

Arson Finger

Active Member
A guy I suggested last year as a potential backup fullback is Connor Roberts from Swansea/Wales.
https://www.transfermarkt.us/connor-roberts/profil/spieler/214666

The role I see him in is the backup fullback on both sides. Tierney should play every game except when he is injured or needs a rest. In this scenario, Roberts would fill in at left back in those times, and also play right back when Bellerin is injured or needs a rest. He could anticipate starting maybe 10-15 games a year on the left and 10-15 a year on the right, depending on injuries and cup runs.

Roberts is homegrown, 25 years old. He's primarily a RB/RWB, but he has played as a left back. His former teammate Henry Jones says "Good all round footballer, could play in any position, and the fittest player I’ve played with."

Current wages reportedly around 15k/week, contract ending in June 2022. Seems like Swansea would be open to selling him-- they would surely prefer to sell in summer when he's going into his last year, but probably wouldn't turn down a decent sum for him right now.

When Southampton were looking at him in 2019-- to replace Cedric-- he was described thusly: "Roberts is noted for his versatility to play on either side of the backline. While he is predominantly a right-back, he is also adept at playing as a left-back and further up the pitch as a right-sided midfielder or on the right flank. The Welshman is a pacey, agile and hardworking player, blessed with high levels of stamina and energy.
The Wales international is not only adept at breaking up the play but he is also capable of carrying the ball forward with his youthful burst of energy.

To add to that, he has the intelligence and the attacking instincts to help his team in the final third of the pitch. Defensively solid as well, Roberts would be the ideal player to replace Cedric at Southampton and provide competition for Valery."
https://www.soccersouls.com/southam...-a-long-way-in-repairing-their-leaky-defence/

Roberts is no world beater, but we're talking about a backup fullback here. He's just a hard working guy who runs his ass off every game and seems like he would want to try to establish himself as a Premier League player.

"He has proved an attacking force from wing-back – only Norwich’s Emi Buendía, a No 10, has created more chances this campaign – but is also part of the Championship’s meanest defence. Swansea have 10 clean sheets from 18 matches, a tally it took them 32 games to reach last season. Unsurprisingly, Roberts’ post-match heat maps are a sight to behold. “We get the stats after every game and I think every game this season I’ve run the furthest out of everyone in my team and the opposition, so I’d probably go as far to say I’ve run further than anyone else [in the league].”
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-connor-roberts-workshop-woodwork-gareth-bale

"Roberts has been a central figure in their success so far, a "ridiculous athlete" - according to Cooper - who has played every minute of a congested league campaign.
On average the wing-back runs 11.7 kilometres a game, which usually puts him top of the charts. The team average is 10.5 kilometres...
"I am in a privileged position to be playing for Swansea. The least I can do is work hard."
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/55669112

Sorry for posting all this about a player we aren't linked with, but when people ask who else could we get to be a backup fullback, he is one guy who might be a good option.
 

Red London

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@Red London didn't Zlatan play a part in helping to develop Rashford and Martial. Here is a guy that you can look upto but also a guy that will carry a huge burden for the team? Bastian playing at the time McTominay is coming through the youth ranks. What a player to look upto. Matic a bit younger but still relatively old who can be someone to look up. Meanwhile Rashford, Martial, McTominay mature and can begin to carry the weight themselves, and even then United still sign Cavani.

There is a place for older players. I can see the need for them in our team. We've a lot of young guys who will dip, tire, need a break, who will make mistakes and older players can protect them. Willian has been a human shield for Pepe and Nelson this season.

As for Liverpool their oldest starter is out injured and the wheels have fell off. You need a blend IMO. There is a place for older players just as there is a place for younger players and those in between. It's about the right number balancing each other. Too many old players you stop the natural transition, too many young players you lack the experience to deal with certain things that happen. Too many in between you risk wrecking thr natural equilibrium between people who are bit parts and first teamers.

Edit. Everything I said could be wrong of course. It's just an opinion after all :)
I understand that and I agree. But Ibrahimovic is a generational player, he has gone to Milan and may have just elevated them to a Scudetto. What has Cedric or Bertrand achieved? I think you need the right mix, but we are buying players who were never really all that, wont really command respect as much as a Cavani/Ibra/Bastien, and they are just more players who may not even care as much as the others in the team. I think we just need to be careful with that. A player shouldnt be coming here as a retirement package, they need to be a player with a track record of winning if they are gonna be over the hill. Thiago Silva is exactly that.
 

Sebastes

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Of course we’d all be okay with like a 2 year contract. But Bertrand is 31, probably thinks he has something left to give and even if he doesn’t and have started glancing at life after football he doesn’t come for anything less than 3 years. That’s why this would be such a bad deal for us. As @Red London says, we’re on a pretty bad trajectory here if we continue signing these old players.

Perfect candidate would be a solid, left-footed, HG around 28 years old. Don’t really know who that would be so then I’d rather go for the younger options like Richards or Buchanan
 

6gunner

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Country: USA
2year contract for this guy is perfect—even if we have to pay him a little more to accept it. The Lopez kid is 18 and will be ready to back up Tierney in two years.
 

Wryer

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Always felt he has another level in him, whenever I watch him. Intelligent, physically strong and relatively quick still. Will be a good back up on reasonable wages.
 

Red London

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I'm with my yg @Red London enough of these 3 year contracts for 30+ year olds with no resale value. Bertrand would be a great backup. I'd be willing to give him a two year agreement.
Yeah thats where I draw the line bro, don't want two 34 year olds stinking up the place. In the future I would rather try to diversify our back up / squad depth signings, they shouldn't all be on their last contract.
 

L3T5 PL4Y

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If he wants to stay put then we should go straight to Omar Richards for a permanent move with Nelson going the other way on loan for the remainder of the season. We can figure out a proper back up in the summer.
 

Trilly

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Need a poll I think.

Do people want someone who is clearly a back up to Tierney or someone who could push him and potentially bench him?
 

NCGooner

Member
A guy I suggested last year as a potential backup fullback is Connor Roberts from Swansea/Wales.
https://www.transfermarkt.us/connor-roberts/profil/spieler/214666

The role I see him in is the backup fullback on both sides. Tierney should play every game except when he is injured or needs a rest. In this scenario, Roberts would fill in at left back in those times, and also play right back when Bellerin is injured or needs a rest. He could anticipate starting maybe 10-15 games a year on the left and 10-15 a year on the right, depending on injuries and cup runs.

Roberts is homegrown, 25 years old. He's primarily a RB/RWB, but he has played as a left back. His former teammate Henry Jones says "Good all round footballer, could play in any position, and the fittest player I’ve played with."

Current wages reportedly around 15k/week, contract ending in June 2022. Seems like Swansea would be open to selling him-- they would surely prefer to sell in summer when he's going into his last year, but probably wouldn't turn down a decent sum for him right now.

When Southampton were looking at him in 2019-- to replace Cedric-- he was described thusly: "Roberts is noted for his versatility to play on either side of the backline. While he is predominantly a right-back, he is also adept at playing as a left-back and further up the pitch as a right-sided midfielder or on the right flank. The Welshman is a pacey, agile and hardworking player, blessed with high levels of stamina and energy.
The Wales international is not only adept at breaking up the play but he is also capable of carrying the ball forward with his youthful burst of energy.

To add to that, he has the intelligence and the attacking instincts to help his team in the final third of the pitch. Defensively solid as well, Roberts would be the ideal player to replace Cedric at Southampton and provide competition for Valery."
https://www.soccersouls.com/southam...-a-long-way-in-repairing-their-leaky-defence/

Roberts is no world beater, but we're talking about a backup fullback here. He's just a hard working guy who runs his ass off every game and seems like he would want to try to establish himself as a Premier League player.

"He has proved an attacking force from wing-back – only Norwich’s Emi Buendía, a No 10, has created more chances this campaign – but is also part of the Championship’s meanest defence. Swansea have 10 clean sheets from 18 matches, a tally it took them 32 games to reach last season. Unsurprisingly, Roberts’ post-match heat maps are a sight to behold. “We get the stats after every game and I think every game this season I’ve run the furthest out of everyone in my team and the opposition, so I’d probably go as far to say I’ve run further than anyone else [in the league].”
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-connor-roberts-workshop-woodwork-gareth-bale

"Roberts has been a central figure in their success so far, a "ridiculous athlete" - according to Cooper - who has played every minute of a congested league campaign.
On average the wing-back runs 11.7 kilometres a game, which usually puts him top of the charts. The team average is 10.5 kilometres...
"I am in a privileged position to be playing for Swansea. The least I can do is work hard."
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/55669112

Sorry for posting all this about a player we aren't linked with, but when people ask who else could we get to be a backup fullback, he is one guy who might be a good option.


The man is Swansea through and through, and has spoken before about how desperately he wants them to be promoted again, and how much the relegation hurt him on a personal level. Would love to have him, hard working player, but I can't see him leaving even with a good offer in the middle of fighting to get his boyhood team back into the EPL
 
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