William Carvalho

[CurryFlavoured]

Hell no, if we wanted a Tiote-like player we would have just kept Frimpong.

Being physical doesn't mean you're a brute, look at Matic for Chelsea. He's very physical, positionally good and he's solid in possession, but the main thing is that he offers a lot defensively in midfield. That's the kind we should be looking for IMO, although Matic probably isn't the best example because he had a hefty fee. Most players like him don't break the bank though.

 

[SiMamu]

So are you suggesting a hatchet man like Tiote CF? One of those African-French brutes K-Dog or Guilavogui could do the trick for under £15 million.

I'd rather Song if that's what we want. Second best African midfielder after Yaya Toure imo. Song, of whom, was part of that Cameroon midfield.

 

[iced22]

I think in the end, we just keep returning to the need for what essentially is a younger, more mobile Arteta.

The most common setup for the double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 is a deep lying passer and a more mobile runner. If we assume Ramsey is a fixture in the runner role and Wilshere/Rosicky/Chamberlain are the backup, then we are left with only an aging, declining Arteta who can fill the former. It's essentially the same problem we had in Arteta's first season here - we had no cover for him and only realized his importance when he was injured.

We get much more flexibility in midfield as a result too. Do we go with Ramsey + a passer? Or perhaps Flamini as a pure holder and Ramsey allowed license to roam? Maybe even two passers (Arteta + new guy) just for total control of the midfield passing game? Heck, I'd even argue there are some bigger games when we need Ramsey as the most advanced midfielder and two holders behind him.

 

[MutableEarth]

Song wasn't a great DM, that last season with the balls over the top for RVP made people overrate him a lot. Let's be honest - he was flawed.

Kondogbia isn't just a hatchet man though, he's a good passer and reads the game well. We definitely need a DM who can pass from deep. The hybrid has to lean towards defence. Carvalho and Kondogbia fit the bill, but expensive. Schneiderlin will also be expensive. There are cheaper options though...

 

[Sydney Gooner]

We should probably go French since they keep producing plenty of midfielders in that mould such as Schneiderlin, K-Dog, Guilavogui, Imbula, Matuidi.

 

[MutableEarth]

We should probably go French since they keep producing plenty of midfielders in that mould such as Schneiderlin, K-Dog, Guilavogui, Imbula, Matuidi.

Imbula is a good shout. Guilavogui aswell.

 

[Floating]

Someone recently suggested Pedro Obiang of Sampdoria - any Serie A watchers know of him?

 

[GDeep™]

Wenger is pretty high on all things German, I can't say anymore.

 

[The_Playmaker]

Song wasn't a great DM, that last season with the balls over the top for RVP made people overrate him a lot. Let's be honest - he was flawed.

Kondogbia isn't just a hatchet man though, he's a good passer and reads the game well. We definitely need a DM who can pass from deep. The hybrid has to lean towards defence. Carvalho and Kondogbia fit the bill, but expensive. Schneiderlin will also be expensive. There are cheaper options though...

A defensive midfielder needs to understand his role within the team. He has to be aware that he is the player who wins the ball and gives the ball to those who then go on and play. Flamini loves doing that. He understands that the players around him are the ones who create. His responsibility is when we do not have the ball. Pogba and Gundogan are forward thinking players. I wouldn't even consider them. Having watched more of Kondogbia, it is pretty clear that he isn't completely defensive minded. He is a box to box player who enjoys showing how good he is on the ball and how strong he is. How can he be placed in the role in our team that requires the most discipline. That discipline doesn't come at a young age. We don't need an up and coming stupidly priced prospect. We don't need an Alonso to distribute the ball because we do not play long passes.

What we need is a humble individual who is defensively aware and is able to adapt. A quicker more physical version of Flamini would be perfect and they are available in the form of Gonalons or Schneiderlin. Wenger would go up to £15 million for Schneiderlin and probably slightly less for Gonalons. The most important factor is that the player knows his role in the team and is aware that his job is to provide a platform for the creative players to do their job.

 

[Pires7_Legend]

Midfielder should be priority this summer. I would not mind paying 20-30 millions if we had too! Quality left winger is also needed badly! If we get one of Reus/Draxler/Greizmann i would be very happy!

 

[Anzac]

Wenger is pretty high on all things German, I can't say anymore.

Bender?
Kroos?

 

[cannonade]

^
Gundogan? (partnered with Ramsey, Özil, Walcott, Ox and Balotelli?--WOW)

 

[Pires7_Legend]

We have too many small midfielders! We need to balance it out! Big, tall, physical midfielder should be partnered beside Ramsey or Wilshere. This guy or Pogba would be ideal. What about Junior Malanda is he any good? Also Mangala type defender should be also signed to add more aggression and physicality to our defense.

 

[GDeep™]

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2577757/Man-United-open-talks-Sporting-Lisbon-signing-William-Carvalho.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... valho.html</a>

 

[ArseGod]

Isn't this kid United bound for an inflated fee? No thanks. Would rather have Schniederlien.

 

[MutableEarth]

Isn't this kid United bound for an inflated fee? No thanks. Would rather have Schniederlien.

On a similarly inflated fee no doubt

 

[ArseGod]

If Carvalho goes for thirty, I'd rather spend the 18 on a PL proven player. Inflated yeah, but not the way the Portuguese teams do it.