I am so confused about this player. One minute Ferguson confirms he will be an excellent replacement for Van Der Sar and we are close to signing a keeper and Balague states the deal was completed 2 months ago and then De Geas lawyers state that nothing has been signed. Later on Atleticos board member states that they feel he will sign and then today Atletico sporting director Jose Luis Perez Caminero states that "he remains an Atletico player". We should just forget about this player and sign Sketlenburg in my opinion because if we don't we may have to keep Tomask and make him number 1. I fear the worst this summer, will we sign anyone half decent?
Nolhman wise up. Stop spouting your same old nonsense. SAF has said 2-3 players will be signed. The keeper situation will be hopefully dealt with this June.
Who will we sign in goal? De Gea looks like he won't sign now witch is a shame but who will replace Edwin?
He is going to sign for us, it is pretty much a given unless something catastrophic happens in the next week. What i'm worried about is the Ashley Young rumours, we could spend 15 million pounds on more progressive players.
Ashley Young is a class act. Consistently up there with the best wingers in the Prem, year in, year out. Seems to be in vogue to criticise him. Well I'll be happy if we sign him.
I agree that he is a good player and proven in the prem, but we have Nani and Valencia, who I feel are better than him. We have made a significant investment in both players and it is paying off, so why stop that positive progression. We also have guys like Park and Giggs who can still do a job on either wing. If we want a utility winger then I suggest we sign someone like Matt Jarvis for far less money.
Ashley Young hmmm. If we sign him, we sign him. What can we do? Maybe the club is lacking ambition but who knows he might be a decent player at Utd. I am just worried we are targeting 2nd rate players but what can you do? I am sure Ferguson will improve us for next season but the problem is will he improve us enough to match City, Liverpool or Chelsea? I am not sure
I am sure we will sign some players, probably better than the likes of Bebe and Obertan and I guess Young is a step up from those 2 but I don't think we will improve our midfield significantly as in all honesty we need about 2 new world class mid fielders to compete. As for the Goal keeping situation we might get some one on the cheap. I don't expect much this summer but who knows.
I think its a backlash from him being overrated at the start of the season, you know how these things work. English player has a few good games and his transfer value rockets, is linked with every big club and is seen as a world class player. After being poor for a bit the 'I told you so' crowd make themselves heard by saying he was never anything more than average. Nobody gives an accurate assessment of how good the player is.
Personally I think it's a massive gamble signing a 20 year old as a replacement for Van Der Sar. For me a goalkeeper doesn't reach there prime until around 30, and as they are required to be very vocal it's better if they are one of the more experienced players. Can you realy imagine Rio, Vidic and Evra taking orders from some 20 year old, like they did Van Der Sar. You look at all the big sides in Europe and the age of there goalkeepers, and experience they have. The only top side I can think of that have a young keeper is Arsenal and look at the errors he makes. Personally I will be amazed if this De Gae is capable of being a reliable world class keeper at the age of 20. It's a position that takes years of experience to get to the very top. I'd like us to make a move for Inter Milan's keeper Julio Cesar, what with them having a poor season in Serie A, I think he could be tempted by a move to us, and I believe he would be a far more suitable replacement for Van Der Sar
Maybe, but look at how Casillas did for Real Madrid. Won the CL aged 18 and again aged 20. Was a bit shaky in a couple of his early seasons, but once he turned 22 he just got better and better and is now arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, and has at least another five seasons to go. As for whether or not de Gea will sign, Atletico have no say in the matter. His contract has a buy out clause, so provided we meet that we just have to negotiate with him. I guess all that's happening at the moment is that we are negotiating personal terms, and trying to get de Gea to make a formal transfer request so we can get him for less than the £22 million buy out amount.
I hope your right Swarbs. But why would Atletico state "he remains a atletico player" do they mean at the moment or for next season?
Athletico Madrid are saying they would like to retain him because they just got a new sporting director. But the liklehood of that is slim because all the processes are in place and De Gea is in contact with super agent Mendes.
Because he still is at Atletico player. We haven't agreed to pay his buyout clause yet. In Spain you can negotiate with the player before the club, so we are probably discussing personal terms with De Gea before negotiating the price.
I disagree, some notable exceptions to that rule: Casillas, Reina, Cech, Buffon. Many keepers take some time to learn their craft but some are just naturals. From all reports De Gea is just that, remember this guy went from reserve and youth team football to first choice without any hiccup.
I agree, this guy looks like he is mentally strong which is probably the biggest attribute you need to have being a keeper at Old Trafford.
And of course many goalkeepers still can't handle it when aged 30. See Barthez, Taibi, Almunia and Gomes for details...
I think you're born with mental toughness, and it's not something you can look past when buying a keeper. It is the reason that guys like De Gea and Neuer are surpassing their more aged and experienced collegues in the rankings.
