22 Dec 2021 03:17:01
Hi Ed.

Just wondering why United are seemingly focused on Kamara and Haidara when Tchouaméni, vastly superior, is available?

Kamara is decent, but no star. Haidara, although technically excellent, is injury-prone.

Why are United looking at 2 players who might each struggle to feature in 30+ games, and not doing all they can to get a true midfield gem?

{Ed002's Note - Tchouameni is heading elsewhere.}

1.) 22 Dec 2021
22 Dec 2021 08:26:54
Kamara looks a prospect if we can get him: maybe a bit raw and needs work on positioning and distribution at times but an excellent tackler and like a meet at when sensing danger in front of the back 4. A budget Fabhino or Ndidu.

Would rather have him than not.

Looks like Tchoumaeni off to Chelsea.

2.) 22 Dec 2021
22 Dec 2021 10:47:32
Are CDM's "star" players? For the most part their job is to do the dirty work, the water carrying, the unflashy stuff that never makes it onto YouTube "skills" videos.

To be honest looking at our squad we need less players who think of themselves as "stars" and more gritty, hard working, humble and determined players.

At the moment our issues seem to stem from us being all fur coat and no knickers.

It's hard to judge who is "vastly" superior when we are judging young players who have for the most part never moved out of the country they are playing in, and have never had to play in a different style etc.

Kamara looked fairly good as a key player who helped Marseille to 2nd in the 2019/ 20 season.

They are also currently 2nd and six places above Tchouameni's Monaco who are languishing in 8th as things stand.

While Haidara has been a key player in RB Salzburg winning titles in Austria and with RB Leipzig's success in Germany.

They are all talented young players, it's just that Tchouameni is currently the flavour of the month. Maybe he will go on to be the best of the three of them, maybe he won't.

What is important though is that we sign the best player for us. That means the player has to WANT to play for us, that their skillset suits what we need, and that they are mentally ready for the challenge of playing for the most supported team in the world in the most watched league in the world.

We've signed top players who have flopped and lesser known players who have flourished.

Liverpool signed the highly rated Daniel Agger in the 05/ 06 season, Real Madrid signed Sergio Ramos for a huge fee of 27m, Inter signed Walter Samuel for 16m. That's two top young players and a proven quality CB moving clubs. We signed Nemanja Vidic from Spartak Moscow.

On paper Ramos, Samuel and Agger were more highly rated, yet in hindsight would you swap any of them for Vidic?

Talented as they were do you think any of them could have come in and formed the sort of rock solid partnership with Rio Ferdinand that Vidic did?

It's not always about signing the biggest name, or the most highly rated player. It's about signing the right player for what the club needs.