01 May 2023 17:52:39
Moving away from talk of the sale, I have been very impressed with the blossoming central defensive partnership of Lindelof and Shaw.

They were excellent against both Brighton and Villa, keeping clean sheets in both games against in form sides.

A lot has been said about the need to sell Maguire and by a back up CB or someone to challenge Varane for his starting spot.

However, based on current form I don't think I'd be too concerned going into next season with Varane and Martinez as first choice with Lindelof and Shaw as back up.

1.) 01 May 2023
01 May 2023 19:00:04
agreed, we potentially can't afford to be overspending in some areas when we are in such dire need up front. Hopefully we can raise £35-40m from Harry without having an outlay on a replacement and earmark the money for bringing in a goal scorer.

2.) 01 May 2023
01 May 2023 19:55:59
Totally agree Shappy, they have both been excellent, especially Lindelof.
He has 12 month's remaining on his contract but there is talk the club will invoke the 12 month extension they hold, due to his form.
This would seem to be a sensible option as it would put off making a decision this summer on an additional centre back in favour of more pressing need's.
The only issue really is whether Lindelof would be OK with this as he has said he will review his position this summer as he want's more playing time.

3.) 01 May 2023
01 May 2023 20:11:24
Crumbed might happen this summer if Maguire goes. We can’t rely on Varane’s fitness.

4.) 01 May 2023
01 May 2023 20:23:26
Maguire is 30, there is zero, none, no chance we get £35m for him.

5.) 01 May 2023
01 May 2023 21:16:58
Shaw has done well at CB and Lindelof looks like a solid defender when he doesn't have Maguire next to him.

I think we will bring in another CB when Maguire does go as Varane's fitness has never been consistent. Even when he is fit, he is rotated in and out as he cannot sustain 3 games a week. Shaw as the 5th CB in the squad would work well in my opinion. Dalot can cover both full back positions too so it could be him or Malacia in Shaw's usual LB spot.

6.) 01 May 2023
01 May 2023 22:15:06
A CB to push Varane with a view to being his replacement for me is ideal.

As has been stated Shaw has covered for Martinez admirably.

As for Lindelof, if he wants to leave to start eksewhere then he should and we should let him, have nothing against him staying around if he wanted too, think he's done well for us this year when called upon, have never heard him causing any trouble (as i haven't with Maguire) and as a club i think its the right thing to do to help support a player who wants to leave for whatever reason. I think it sends the right message to other players and agents for the future amd will help future transfers being known as a club who will work with a player and agent.

7.) 01 May 2023
01 May 2023 22:52:13
Lindelof gets bullied easily and Shaw is not a top rated central defender. Let's watch how these two play against Brighton and City in the cup final.

8.) 02 May 2023
01 May 2023 23:54:42
They have just played against Brighton and were both excellent! indeed Lindelof was, I thought, our best player. Who has done well against City? hardly a fair test to make an assessment on.

9.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 00:04:51
£20m tops for Maguire. Maybe £15m plus add-ons.

10.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 00:06:23
Correct, Shaw is not a top rated central defender. But he is better than Maguire!

11.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 03:13:25
Shaw was excellent against city earlier in the season.

Lindelof is not getting bullied and may choose to stay given that he could rotate regularly with varane.

Don't think EtH has any idea how much budget he has this year. I think our biggest holes are a striker and a midfielder who is more robust but still play making at 8 - but who can also cover cassemiro at 6.

As ever, our biggest challenge will come down to moving players on. We have a lot of players who are not good enough for a title challenge. We need to make space for players who will improve the first team.

12.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 09:41:57
Lindelof was probably MOM last game. Suddenly all is forgiven :D
I think we'll get a realistic amount for Maguire, I reckon 30-40m. Away from the constant trolling I think he'll have his suitors.

13.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 10:13:33
I've always been a big fan of lindelof and I believe he has been hampered massively due to having to play with Maguire. He has to think for both of them when he plays along side HM.

Shaw has really surprised me, he has responded very well to ETH and looks extremely comfortable at CB. I didn't see it coming. They have played very well together.

14.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 10:38:07
It will all depend on what budget we have and who leaves. If Maguire has any self worth he will be looking at his next club and if chosen correctly I think he will have a good end to his career (similar to how England are) .
We need to bring in another CB but if we retain Lindelof and Shaw is seen as a viable alternative to Martinez (some of that will be how we see Malacia develop) then a younger up and coming CB could be the way to go here to mould into the replacement in a year of so.
Shaw and Martinez show how EtH wants to play from the back, 2 players who are comfortable with the ball at there feet and bringing it forward. With a quality ball progresser in midfield we could be a real threat next year.

15.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 10:39:16
Angel,

I could have typed that exact post, Shaw is so calm in there that it rubs off on others around him, I can’t believe how good he is at centre half, he has been fantastic. Everyone looks worse playing next to Maguire, he is a huge issue in the squad and needs to be moved on at any price.

16.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 11:17:56
Giggs, I hear what you're saying but sadly the money men don't go by the 'moved on at any price' ethos!

17.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 12:40:55
My post meant to say Timber might happen. I have no idea who Crumbed is.

18.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 15:22:55
Let's see how Lidelof and Shaw do against Brighton and City. And it is absolutely fair to use these games as yardsticks to measure their performance. Brighton will be itching to beat us after not performing to their potential in losing the cup semi final. Meantime City will be chasing a treble. These are exactly the type of games and opposition to judge them against.
No disrespect but it's not good measuring how good they are against mid or lower in the table teams. We should be aspiring to defend properly and beat the best.

19.) 02 May 2023
02 May 2023 15:51:57
Shaw used to take a while to get up to match speed after a layoff either form, tactics or injury but feel he is much more focused as well as maturing into a good solid defender this season. Well impressed with his standin partnership with lindlehof who for me has shown that he does possess quality if he has the right partner, plays on the rhs of cb pairing and doesn't get pulled out of position by maguire. Only a few games together but doing well at the moment. agree bigger games coming up but they can only carry on doing their best.
Still think a defender will come in but not urgently required.