Looks like the remaining loan slot is likely to be filled next week by Brandon Williams. Surprised the club see the value in the loan market there, rather than CB/DM, but I guess we'll see who comes in!
According to a recent article in the Manchester Evening News, Williams, having been limited to just 14 appearances last season, is determined to go out on loan at a club which can offer him serious playing time. Although he can play on either flank, he is, according to the article (and despite what transfermarkt says), primarily a LB. Quote: "Williams has played most of his career at left-back but provided cover for Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back in the second half of last term and had to wait until May to start in the Premier League." Hmm!
We haven't seen any interest in him reported recently, I'm not sure where he goes? Of the teams previously linked: Barcelona have no money at all Atletico Madrid haven't sold Trippier, so there's no real opening there. Arsenal still haven't got rid of Bellerin Spurs were linked before, but Tanganga had a good game at RB this weekend and they have Doherty as an attacking option. If they sell Kane, do they throw £30m at a RB? Everton have been crippled by FFP and can't make big signings. Bayern Munich about the only options left? Maybe Brandon Williams could replace him, but we'd still need another depth signing. The talk of a loan arrangement with United where we pay more for not playing him, implies to me that he'd need to force his way in.
Just read The Athletic's article on this move. Their reporters (Michael Bailey and the United reporter) think he'll be behind Giannoulis and Aarons, but push both. Apparently Southampton negotiated the loan fee from £2m down to £1.7m, but we're paying "significantly" below that. I assume United ran out of options. Deal likely to be agreed after the weekend, so United aren't short of cover whilst Telles returns to fitness. Interestingly, the article suggests we might look for overseas loan-to-buy moves for CB and/or DM. Obviously we can't have any more domestic loan signings. It'll be interesting to see where we look for that, most clubs in Europe looking to sell probably need the money sooner than next summer? Maybe we look at a recently relegated side, with some kind of arrangement where the player ends up with whoever is in a higher division next summer?
I can only assume this means Max is going. Otherwise, why waste a loan place on a position we don't need to strengthen rather than a place where we desperately need to strengthen? And if Max isn't going, what message does this send to Bali Mumba? Be grateful if we send you out on loan to Carlisle?
Seems odd to use our last loan on a left back , Gianoulis is first choice with Sorensen and possibly Byran if he's fit . Max and Mumba on the right. Can't see how we can guarantee the Man U player minutes unless someone leaves
Stiepermann joins Srbeny at Paderborn. Good on him https://www.pinkun.com/sport/norwic...ures-new-club-germany-after-ncfc-exit-8244378 Edit just seen DH already posted this
This would be a perfect signing but Saints also interested . https://sportslens.com/southampton-join-norwich-city-in-race-to-sign-tosin-adarabioyo/381066/
Read a bit of chat from Manchester United fans suggesting they see Williams as a potential future DM rather than full back. That's not been reiterated in any of the press coverage of this move, seems clear he'll be joining as full back cover, but perhaps nice to have another option there if we get desperate. I don't want to see us relying on a 19 year converted from full back to play DM if we can avoid it though!
I seem to recall that Mumba was described as a DM when he arrived from Sunderland, but the club said they'd use him as a RB initially. It'll be interesting to see how it goes with both players.
Good point - Mumba still has a listing of DM and even CM as secondary positions on transfermarkt. It’s telling that he signed a contract extension last month.
Just as a matter of interest, do we all realise that transfermarkt is basically a crowdsourced website, i.e. it's content is primarily provided by users (similar to e.g. Wikipedia)? There has been quite a bit of interesting research into, for instance, the accuracy of the site's market values and how they are produced (brief summary here -- paragraph 2.2 refers). Currently, Williams's primary position is given as RB, which appears simply to reflect his use last season as a replacement for the injured Wan Bissaka, in contrast to the Manchester Evening News article I quoted, according to which he has played LB for most of his career.
We know transfermarkt is not very reliable. We are not thick. Thanks. You are also wrong - it draws some of the stats directly from football statistic sources (hence the accuracy of its records on, eg, a player’s actual positions throughout their playing career) - that includes part input into the valuations, so it mirrors valuation methodology of actual football valuation companies, albeit at a simplified level. Some might call that crowdsourcing, but it’s not wikipedia. As your article even points out… Transfermarkt is selective in which data it only does (ie the methodology I mention above). Hence “Transfermarkt's accuracy in estimating market value is remarkable”. The most glaring omission of the article is who the Transfermarkt users are and who are the judges… The personal, non-statistical, information it “crowdsources” (it doesn’t) is inputted from specific users - so yes, you have to be cautious when it says [X] is [Y] metres tall or [X]’s preferred positions are [Z] and [A] - because those have been inputted by an agent or the player’s club, but you’re completely wrong to say it is primarily crowdsourced. So before you sneer again, check your facts - you are far worse for slavishly relying on one company’s calculations of xG… Or in unquestioningly relying on an article which uses the word “crowdsourcing” without assessing whether that summary of the article is accurate. As we have repeatedly pointed out to you, these tools (including both Transfermarkt and xG etc) can be useful and insightful, but don’t assume they are accurate and treat them with caution. Of all the posters on this forum to try to use that warning against others, it’s somewhat amusing to hear it from you. I know as between Transfermarkt (particularly the bare facts like player positions historically and their preferences) and xG which ones I prefer…
Michael Bailey's Athletic Q&A yesterday mentioned transfer business a little. He seems to think that the £10m we'd earmarked for Billing is still available (so we could spend £10m on a DM still), but isn't sure if there'd be any money in the kitty for a CB after that. So we could buy a £10m player and look at an overseas loan for the other position, or split the £10m.
