If there are two areas Manchester United need to strengthen this summer, it would be defense and midfield.
On Saturday night, the extent of United’s woes in the back half was clear for all to see. Due to a series of injuries and suspensions, Nousser Mazraoui had to start at centre-back. Despite this, they managed to keep a clean sheet against a monotonous Chelsea opponent.
As a result, it turned out that it was necessary to organize the largest recruitment drive in the middle of the park. Casemiro has already confirmed that he will leave the club when his contract expires, and Manuel Ugarte is also widely rumored to be leaving the club.
Where will the Red Devils go? Well, there are some big-money targets in their sights.
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Regardless of whether Michael Carrick is in the dugout next season, it will be an action station as far as new transfers are concerned.
The likes of Jason Wilcox and Omar Berardo have plenty of work to do, and their first job on the market will be to strengthen the midfield ranks.
Their main target appears to be Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali, but signing the Italian could cost a significant amount of money – in fact it could reach £100m.
The same goes for Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson. Fabrizio Romano revealed on his YouTube channel this weekend that the Red Devils are “in talks” with Manchester City to sign the English midfielder.
But Romano is not the only midfielder United are considering.
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Many of their additions have not lived up to expectations.
The transfer reporter further commented as follows: “Look at the other player, Ederson, the Brazilian player from Atalanta. What’s happening is that Atletico Madrid have agreed personal terms with the player, but Atletico are not willing to pay Atalanta what they want. Atalanta want 45 million euros, but they could negotiate up to 40 million euros.”
“So now Premier League clubs are also looking to sign Ederson. If they can’t get a deal done, please keep an eye on the situation with Premier League clubs. Manchester United have been tracking him since Ruben Amorim was manager and they rate him highly at the club. He’s not on a big salary so it could be a very good opportunity. Premier League clubs are paying attention to the situation.”
Manchester United midfield shortlist | ||
|---|---|---|
player | club | evaluation |
Sandro Tonali | newcastle | 100 million pounds |
Elliot Anderson | nottingham forest | 100 million pounds |
Adam Wharton | crystal palace | £80 million |
carlos barreba | brighton | £80 million |
angelo stiller | stuttgart | £43m |
ederson | atalanta | £40 million |
Comparison between Ederson and Casemiro
It’s safe to say that fans wouldn’t be as happy if United were to miss out on Tonali and especially Andersson.
Spending a lot of money isn’t necessarily necessary, but it feels like they really need a player of Anderson’s caliber to beat City.
The England international has been described by manager Thomas Tuchel as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League”, which is why his price tag is astronomical. But for a fraction of the money, you could get a very talented midfielder like Ederson.
The Brazilian has attracted attention in recent years and could be exactly the player a new manager wants as he looks to replace Casemiro’s influence.
The former Real Madrid man remains a threat this season, but it’s mainly from set-pieces, and in the mold of Ederson, we’ll likely find a sitting midfielder who can do the dirty work behind Koby Mainu and Bruno Fernandes.
Italian content creator Damiano Coccia has described him as “the best defensive midfielder in the world”, and he has also drawn praise from former Three Lions manager Fabio Capello, who once said: “Ederson is out of this world in terms of his ability to combine running, physicality, technique and intelligence.”
That’s certainly nice, but what do the statistics tell us?
Well, they’re very similar in some parts, but not in others. In fact, as far as progressive paths are concerned, there isn’t much to distinguish between the two.
Ederson ranks in the highest 19% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues in this metric, while Casemiro ranks in the top 13%. We also work closely together regarding key passes. They are both like shuttles in front of the defensive line.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the completed pass into the opponent’s goal or into the penalty area.
The biggest difference between the two, both excellent readers of the ball, is undoubtedly the Atalanta midfielder’s ability to drive the play forward, something United would also get if they sign the more expensive Andersson.
Among midfielders in Europe’s top divisions, Ederson ranks in the top 30% for progressive carries, and Casemiro really fails in this metric. He also has a much higher success rate of forward passes. In that respect, he is something of a hybrid between Mainu and Casemiro.
The 26-year-old may not be a dream target, but his £40 million fee would be enough to make him one of Serie A’s best midfield players.
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