Liverpool fan here (in relative peace!). I am interested in what you guys think of the (likely) signing of Young (and Jones and other potential rumours) with regards to being able to mount a serious challenge to compete with the likes of Barcelona? Don't get me wrong i would of been pleased if Young came to Liverpool, however, last season proved that we are in the process of re-building and you were clearly among the elite of Europe by reaching the champions league final and winning the EPL. I personally feel that you really should be trying to sign higher calibre players than Young, Jones (although i see Jones being a huge player in the future) and possibly Nasri. These are all very good players but they probably wouldn't be certain starters in the Barca reserves. I honestly thought you would be aiming higher, although if Wesley joins this would show intent. I guess there is plenty of time so anything could happen, i was just interested what you guys thought. Thanks
Barca are too good to challenge, we all saw their plan B when the CL semi-finals happened and they face an opponent who had a squad that could challenge them.
Man Utd never buy superstars we make them. They might not be the biggest names but they are players that will hopefully gel well together. We still need to sign a midfielder or two though.
If Liverpool are trying to compete with Utd do you not feel that you really should be trying to sign higher calibre players than Dann and Downing? Suarez and Henderson are steps in the right direction but the other two would not add much to your team.
Ultimately I think it would be pretty arrogant to say that all we should be focusing on is Barca. Like SAF has always said, you need to be regularly winning your domestic league. With City, Chelsea and Arsenal all likely to strengthen this year, we will need to improve our squad as a whole in order to keep at the top of the EPL both next season and in the future, and that is our obvious goal when signing Jones and Young. If you focus all your spending on trying to buy guaranteed first team players you run the risk of ending up like Liverpool in the last few Benitez years - with a first team that is able to beat any of the top four, but a squad that drops points to all the weaker clubs and falls short in the league. That's not me having a go, that's just how I see it.
I personally don't want Downing to join, however, most Villa fans will tell you he performs consistently better than Young week in week out. Dann would be an ok signing if we pay no more than 10 mil. I agree though we need to be signing players such as Suarez and Henderson. The likes of Mata or Hazard would be a good bit of business imo.
Hazard would be good for most clubs!! Dann looks a good player but I was always more impressed with Jones when I saw him play. Always seemed more commanding and composed as a CB especially for someone so young. Downing looks nothing special and Liverpool would be more threatening with Adam Johnson on the LW to be honest though City will probably not sell.
Jones was always gonna be first choice before the likes of Dann, i think you guys got a great versatile player there. Defo prefer Johnson than Downing, i actually hope Downing doesn't sign as hopefully this will make us look elsewhere. P.S Swarbs i completely agree with your post, but still think you need some real world beaters to come in. I guess the summer will be full of twists and turns.
No I wouldn't rule anything out... But, in my opinion, your chances of landing him depend totally on whether Arsenal or Real bid enough for him too . If he had those three offers on the table - i'd probably put my money on him to choose Arsenal. But you never know
With regards to the Jones vs Dann debate, here is some interesting stats - http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11979_6973293,00.html I know stats dont always tell the right story, but it seems that the main advantage Jones has is his size and age. Dann is 5 years older than Jones, so it's a no brainer really.
Why do people insist that United should be trying to compete with a team who they may not even play next season? Surely the better objective should be to stay ahead of the pack in England.
See i think he is likely to go to Madrid. Sunny Spain vs dirty north London... ummm decisions decisions!!
I wouldn't be surprised by much this summer. A lot of posters like KPR keep spouting that Man Utd would not buy anyone. However Jones has all but signed for Utd, rumours are De Gea will opt for OT after the U21 tournament and the Young deal will go through later sometime today. Furthermore some journalists are saying SAF will sign 2 more players in a massive radical shakeup of the squad. So don't be surprised if a player maybe even a top player ends up at OT that no one was expecting Utd to go in for.
He seems (don't they all ) to have his head screwed on though. He could easily end up doing a 'Robinho' if he goes to Real. Arsenal play the sort of football he'd thrive on. He would be the 'Messi-type' player, he'd would be the most direct threat in the team , and would potentially win games single-handedly. He's more likely to get a consistent place at Arsenal. And I think i've heard him talking about his "dreams to play under Wenger". But then, Real would pay him more, create more hype for him, and as you say - Spain is sunnier. Real are also more likely/willing to pay anything to get him. But, I just think Arsene may sell Nasri or Arshavin to free up space for him and try to get it done quickly. He seems to really like Hazard. Even if he did go to Arsenal, Real would probably get him off them at some point anyway. I'd rather he stays well away from the Prem (unless he's wearing a United shirt )
