Player Suggestion LCB

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Calblade

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It’s been no secret that the Blades are wanting to bring in a new left sided centre back.

I’ve looked at the data of hundreds of left footed defenders who fit the criteria of what United might be looking for as well as only including players might be able to attract to the club should they be interested. I’ve then whittled it down to 8 players and will now cut these down into five options where I will choose the best players to fit into each category. All data sets are from a minimum of around 2000 minutes at least, from last season.


Best attacking option - Hiroki Ito
Value - £10m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £22k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2025
Age - 24
Height - 6ft 2in
Nationality - Japanese
Languages spoke - Japanese & German
Formations most common in - 343
Longest time out injured - Ten days
Stats best in per 90 mins - Progressive passes (5.55), expected assisted goals (0.07), key passes (0.7), passes into final 3rd (4.99), crosses (1.86), shot creating actions (1.72), shot creating actions from live play (1.12), errors (0), carries into final third (0.95)
Characteristics - Likes to cross, likes to play long balls and switch play, will hold onto the ball, strong passer, very quick, reads the game well, comfortable on right side
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - Ito is a really accomplished, forward thinking defender and has improved in all aspects of his game year on year. He’s been capped by Japan and already picked up around 5000 minutes in the Bundesliga. Tottenham and Napoli have been rumoured to have been interested in him and is supposedly available for around £9m. He can play at centre half or at wing back as well so his versatility is another strength. Stuttgart don’t need to get rid but could the lure of Premier League football tempt Ito to try and force his way out. He’s at a really good age, got a high ceiling of the level he can get too, is familiar with the formation we play and got the skill set to really flourish in the wide centre back role we would deploy him in. Could a loan with sizeable transfer option (as we had planned with Szalai) be achieved. Its one I would really like to see.


Best defensive option - Marco Friedl
Value - £7m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £14k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2026
Age - 25
Height - 6ft 2in
Nationality - Austrian
Languages spoke - German & English
Formations most common in - 352
Longest time out injured - One month
Stats best in per 90 mins - Passes into penalty area (0.62), crosses into penalty area (0.21), dribblers tackled (1.42), dribblers challenged (2.36), clearances (4.41), ball recoveries (8.57)
Charateristics - Likes to play long balls, likes to tackle, good anticipation to intercept, will hold onto the ball, poor discipline, good anticipation, composed in possession
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - While Friedl is definitely the most accomplished defender out of these five players, he can still impact play moving forward. Just coming off the back of another decent season in the Bundesliga where he’s played on the left of a back three so again wouldn’t be unfamiliar in our formation. Knows the language so would hope he could fit into the group as well. Has international experience and is the captain of Werder Bremen. Again, not in a position where they have to sell but would be interesting to see if he could be tempted to England.


Best loan option - Auston Trusty
Value - £10m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £14k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2026
Age - 24
Height - 6ft 3in
Nationality - American
Languages spoke - English & Spanish
Formations most common in - 4231
Longest time out injured - None
Stats best in per 90 mins - Errors (0)
Characteristics - Likes to tackle, likes to dribble, safe passer, fairly quick, reads game well
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - In terms of statistics, Trusty isn’t the highest in many of these percentiles but he really is a solid well rounded option that we could do worse then. He just won supporters player of the year on loan at Birmingham and is currently with Arsenal on their pre-season tour in America where he has featured. The Gunners now have Gabriel, Kiwior and Trusty who are left footed centre backs, Saliba, Holding, Timber can all play there as well so wouldn’t be surprised if they let him out on loan again this season where logical a loan higher up the pyramid would make sense. A loan with an option to buy should he be a success could be a decent option!


Best cheap option - Stanley Nsoki
Value - £5.5m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £22k) (Capology)
Contract expires - 2027
Age - 24
Height - 6ft
Nationality - French
Languages spoke - French & Dutch
Formations most common in - 352
Longest time out injured - One month
Stats best in per 90 mins - Errors (0), take ons attempted (1.47), successful take ons (0.84)
Characteristics - Likes to dribble, likes to play short passes, quick, confident in possession
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - Really good dribbler of the ball, a strong physical profile and good recovery speed. French speaking so would be able to speak to and be in groups of our squad while he learnt English. He has Champions League and Europa League experience and at a good age where he can improve and develop. Only featured in four of Hoffenheims last fourteen games, and with them supposedly interested in Altar Szalai, he might find minutes few and far between this season. Has been rumoured to lack concentration or discipline at times, but if United could extract his key qualities on a consistent scale there’s certainly a very good player there.


Best well rounded option - Nicolas Diaz Huincales
Value - £3m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £7k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2025
Age - 24
Height - 5ft 11in
Nationality - Chilean
Languages spoke - Spanish
Formations most common in - 532 & 4231
Longest time out injured - None
Stats best in per 90 mins - Progressive carries (1.32), progressive passes received (1.32), tackles won (1.74), interceptions (2.37), Tackles+Interceptions (5.29), touches in the attacking third (6.33), aerials won (70%)
Characteristics - Likes to dribble, likes to get forward, likes to tackle, uses his body well, aggressive & determined
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - One player that I’m sure few will know much about but one that has really impressed in his time in Mexico. A Chilean international who is able to play at centre back and wing back, Diaz is someone who doesn’t hesitate to get forward but also anticipates danger really well while not letting attackers who are bigger than him beat him in the air that often. His dataset does come from a lesser quality league, but he is a quality player that stands out in it.



Overall, with the success the teams scouting department had in bringing in Ahmedhodzic last season, I don’t doubt for a second who United will bring in won’t be unable to do the role that we expect from our outside centre backs. For what it’s worth, my pick of the bunch would be Hiroki Ito, a very good price for a very good player at both sides of the game, we could either set ourselves up for that position for the next few years with signing him or make a profit should he be a success.

If anyone wants to know the data criteria I highlighted while researching for this position I’ll be happy to share. As I mentioned I had a look at quite a few left footed defenders, if anyone has a player not on this list and wants to know why they aren’t on then let me know who you think should be on here.
 

Calblade said:
It’s been no secret that the Blades are wanting to bring in a new left sided centre back.

I’ve looked at the data of hundreds of left footed defenders who fit the criteria of what United might be looking for as well as only including players might be able to attract to the club should they be interested. I’ve then whittled it down to 8 players and will now cut these down into five options where I will choose the best players to fit into each category. All data sets are from a minimum of around 2000 minutes at least, from last season.


Best attacking option - Hiroki Ito
Value - £10m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £22k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2025
Age - 24
Height - 6ft 2in
Nationality - Japanese
Languages spoke - Japanese & German
Formations most common in - 343
Longest time out injured - Ten days
Stats best in per 90 mins - Progressive passes (5.55), expected assisted goals (0.07), key passes (0.7), passes into final 3rd (4.99), crosses (1.86), shot creating actions (1.72), shot creating actions from live play (1.12), errors (0), carries into final third (0.95)
Characteristics - Likes to cross, likes to play long balls and switch play, will hold onto the ball, strong passer, very quick, reads the game well, comfortable on right side
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - Ito is a really accomplished, forward thinking defender and has improved in all aspects of his game year on year. He’s been capped by Japan and already picked up around 5000 minutes in the Bundesliga. Tottenham and Napoli have been rumoured to have been interested in him and is supposedly available for around £9m. He can play at centre half or at wing back as well so his versatility is another strength. Stuttgart don’t need to get rid but could the lure of Premier League football tempt Ito to try and force his way out. He’s at a really good age, got a high ceiling of the level he can get too, is familiar with the formation we play and got the skill set to really flourish in the wide centre back role we would deploy him in. Could a loan with sizeable transfer option (as we had planned with Szalai) be achieved. Its one I would really like to see.


Best defensive option - Marco Friedl
Value - £7m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £14k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2026
Age - 25
Height - 6ft 2in
Nationality - Austrian
Languages spoke - German & English
Formations most common in - 352
Longest time out injured - One month
Stats best in per 90 mins - Passes into penalty area (0.62), crosses into penalty area (0.21), dribblers tackled (1.42), dribblers challenged (2.36), clearances (4.41), ball recoveries (8.57)
Charateristics - Likes to play long balls, likes to tackle, good anticipation to intercept, will hold onto the ball, poor discipline, good anticipation, composed in possession
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - While Friedl is definitely the most accomplished defender out of these five players, he can still impact play moving forward. Just coming off the back of another decent season in the Bundesliga where he’s played on the left of a back three so again wouldn’t be unfamiliar in our formation. Knows the language so would hope he could fit into the group as well. Has international experience and is the captain of Werder Bremen. Again, not in a position where they have to sell but would be interesting to see if he could be tempted to England.


Best loan option - Auston Trusty
Value - £10m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £14k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2026
Age - 24
Height - 6ft 3in
Nationality - American
Languages spoke - English & Spanish
Formations most common in - 4231
Longest time out injured - None
Stats best in per 90 mins - Errors (0)
Characteristics - Likes to tackle, likes to dribble, safe passer, fairly quick, reads game well
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - In terms of statistics, Trusty isn’t the highest in many of these percentiles but he really is a solid well rounded option that we could do worse then. He just won supporters player of the year on loan at Birmingham and is currently with Arsenal on their pre-season tour in America where he has featured. The Gunners now have Gabriel, Kiwior and Trusty who are left footed centre backs, Saliba, Holding, Timber can all play there as well so wouldn’t be surprised if they let him out on loan again this season where logical a loan higher up the pyramid would make sense. A loan with an option to buy should he be a success could be a decent option!


Best cheap option - Stanley Nsoki
Value - £5.5m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £22k) (Capology)
Contract expires - 2027
Age - 24
Height - 6ft
Nationality - French
Languages spoke - French & Dutch
Formations most common in - 352
Longest time out injured - One month
Stats best in per 90 mins - Errors (0), take ons attempted (1.47), successful take ons (0.84)
Characteristics - Likes to dribble, likes to play short passes, quick, confident in possession
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - Really good dribbler of the ball, a strong physical profile and good recovery speed. French speaking so would be able to speak to and be in groups of our squad while he learnt English. He has Champions League and Europa League experience and at a good age where he can improve and develop. Only featured in four of Hoffenheims last fourteen games, and with them supposedly interested in Altar Szalai, he might find minutes few and far between this season. Has been rumoured to lack concentration or discipline at times, but if United could extract his key qualities on a consistent scale there’s certainly a very good player there.


Best well rounded option - Nicolas Diaz Huincales
Value - £3m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £7k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2025
Age - 24
Height - 5ft 11in
Nationality - Chilean
Languages spoke - Spanish
Formations most common in - 532 & 4231
Longest time out injured - None
Stats best in per 90 mins - Progressive carries (1.32), progressive passes received (1.32), tackles won (1.74), interceptions (2.37), Tackles+Interceptions (5.29), touches in the attacking third (6.33), aerials won (70%)
Characteristics - Likes to dribble, likes to get forward, likes to tackle, uses his body well, aggressive & determined
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - One player that I’m sure few will know much about but one that has really impressed in his time in Mexico. A Chilean international who is able to play at centre back and wing back, Diaz is someone who doesn’t hesitate to get forward but also anticipates danger really well while not letting attackers who are bigger than him beat him in the air that often. His dataset does come from a lesser quality league, but he is a quality player that stands out in it.



Overall, with the success the teams scouting department had in bringing in Ahmedhodzic last season, I don’t doubt for a second who United will bring in won’t be unable to do the role that we expect from our outside centre backs. For what it’s worth, my pick of the bunch would be Hiroki Ito, a very good price for a very good player at both sides of the game, we could either set ourselves up for that position for the next few years with signing him or make a profit should he be a success.

If anyone wants to know the data criteria I highlighted while researching for this position I’ll be happy to share. As I mentioned I had a look at quite a few left footed defenders, if anyone has a player not on this list and wants to know why they aren’t on then let me know who you think should be on here.
Click to expand...


I did a similar thing but wondered why we didnt have any matching results. Realised I had specifically filtered to look at players 23 and under.

However the results that came back were underwhelming, apart from some top top players who we would never attract the rest of the young LCB's were pretty meh.

Think this is a position where we are going to have to look at experience rather than one for the future sadly.
 
Wouldn't a punt on Clark be worth it if he can keep fit and offer reasonable wages, he would fit back in. When fit was only robbos form that kept him ahead
 
Calblade said:
It’s been no secret that the Blades are wanting to bring in a new left sided centre back.

I’ve looked at the data of hundreds of left footed defenders who fit the criteria of what United might be looking for as well as only including players might be able to attract to the club should they be interested. I’ve then whittled it down to 8 players and will now cut these down into five options where I will choose the best players to fit into each category. All data sets are from a minimum of around 2000 minutes at least, from last season.


Best attacking option - Hiroki Ito
Value - £10m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £22k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2025
Age - 24
Height - 6ft 2in
Nationality - Japanese
Languages spoke - Japanese & German
Formations most common in - 343
Longest time out injured - Ten days
Stats best in per 90 mins - Progressive passes (5.55), expected assisted goals (0.07), key passes (0.7), passes into final 3rd (4.99), crosses (1.86), shot creating actions (1.72), shot creating actions from live play (1.12), errors (0), carries into final third (0.95)
Characteristics - Likes to cross, likes to play long balls and switch play, will hold onto the ball, strong passer, very quick, reads the game well, comfortable on right side
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - Ito is a really accomplished, forward thinking defender and has improved in all aspects of his game year on year. He’s been capped by Japan and already picked up around 5000 minutes in the Bundesliga. Tottenham and Napoli have been rumoured to have been interested in him and is supposedly available for around £9m. He can play at centre half or at wing back as well so his versatility is another strength. Stuttgart don’t need to get rid but could the lure of Premier League football tempt Ito to try and force his way out. He’s at a really good age, got a high ceiling of the level he can get too, is familiar with the formation we play and got the skill set to really flourish in the wide centre back role we would deploy him in. Could a loan with sizeable transfer option (as we had planned with Szalai) be achieved. Its one I would really like to see.


Best defensive option - Marco Friedl
Value - £7m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £14k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2026
Age - 25
Height - 6ft 2in
Nationality - Austrian
Languages spoke - German & English
Formations most common in - 352
Longest time out injured - One month
Stats best in per 90 mins - Passes into penalty area (0.62), crosses into penalty area (0.21), dribblers tackled (1.42), dribblers challenged (2.36), clearances (4.41), ball recoveries (8.57)
Charateristics - Likes to play long balls, likes to tackle, good anticipation to intercept, will hold onto the ball, poor discipline, good anticipation, composed in possession
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - While Friedl is definitely the most accomplished defender out of these five players, he can still impact play moving forward. Just coming off the back of another decent season in the Bundesliga where he’s played on the left of a back three so again wouldn’t be unfamiliar in our formation. Knows the language so would hope he could fit into the group as well. Has international experience and is the captain of Werder Bremen. Again, not in a position where they have to sell but would be interesting to see if he could be tempted to England.


Best loan option - Auston Trusty
Value - £10m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £14k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2026
Age - 24
Height - 6ft 3in
Nationality - American
Languages spoke - English & Spanish
Formations most common in - 4231
Longest time out injured - None
Stats best in per 90 mins - Errors (0)
Characteristics - Likes to tackle, likes to dribble, safe passer, fairly quick, reads game well
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - In terms of statistics, Trusty isn’t the highest in many of these percentiles but he really is a solid well rounded option that we could do worse then. He just won supporters player of the year on loan at Birmingham and is currently with Arsenal on their pre-season tour in America where he has featured. The Gunners now have Gabriel, Kiwior and Trusty who are left footed centre backs, Saliba, Holding, Timber can all play there as well so wouldn’t be surprised if they let him out on loan again this season where logical a loan higher up the pyramid would make sense. A loan with an option to buy should he be a success could be a decent option!


Best cheap option - Stanley Nsoki
Value - £5.5m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £22k) (Capology)
Contract expires - 2027
Age - 24
Height - 6ft
Nationality - French
Languages spoke - French & Dutch
Formations most common in - 352
Longest time out injured - One month
Stats best in per 90 mins - Errors (0), take ons attempted (1.47), successful take ons (0.84)
Characteristics - Likes to dribble, likes to play short passes, quick, confident in possession
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - Really good dribbler of the ball, a strong physical profile and good recovery speed. French speaking so would be able to speak to and be in groups of our squad while he learnt English. He has Champions League and Europa League experience and at a good age where he can improve and develop. Only featured in four of Hoffenheims last fourteen games, and with them supposedly interested in Altar Szalai, he might find minutes few and far between this season. Has been rumoured to lack concentration or discipline at times, but if United could extract his key qualities on a consistent scale there’s certainly a very good player there.


Best well rounded option - Nicolas Diaz Huincales
Value - £3m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £7k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2025
Age - 24
Height - 5ft 11in
Nationality - Chilean
Languages spoke - Spanish
Formations most common in - 532 & 4231
Longest time out injured - None
Stats best in per 90 mins - Progressive carries (1.32), progressive passes received (1.32), tackles won (1.74), interceptions (2.37), Tackles+Interceptions (5.29), touches in the attacking third (6.33), aerials won (70%)
Characteristics - Likes to dribble, likes to get forward, likes to tackle, uses his body well, aggressive & determined
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - One player that I’m sure few will know much about but one that has really impressed in his time in Mexico. A Chilean international who is able to play at centre back and wing back, Diaz is someone who doesn’t hesitate to get forward but also anticipates danger really well while not letting attackers who are bigger than him beat him in the air that often. His dataset does come from a lesser quality league, but he is a quality player that stands out in it.



Overall, with the success the teams scouting department had in bringing in Ahmedhodzic last season, I don’t doubt for a second who United will bring in won’t be unable to do the role that we expect from our outside centre backs. For what it’s worth, my pick of the bunch would be Hiroki Ito, a very good price for a very good player at both sides of the game, we could either set ourselves up for that position for the next few years with signing him or make a profit should he be a success.

If anyone wants to know the data criteria I highlighted while researching for this position I’ll be happy to share. As I mentioned I had a look at quite a few left footed defenders, if anyone has a player not on this list and wants to know why they aren’t on then let me know who you think should be on here.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for your excellent analysis. Seems however that all we can do at the moment is a loan with a view to buy. How many of those fall in to that category??
 
jono_t2000 said:
I did a similar thing but wondered why we didnt have any matching results. Realised I had specifically filtered to look at players 23 and under.

However the results that came back were underwhelming, apart from some top top players who we would never attract the rest of the young LCB's were pretty meh.

Think this is a position where we are going to have to look at experience rather than one for the future sadly.
Click to expand...
Yeah in terms of 23 and under, the good ones are out of our reach unfortunately. However, with these players I've analysed they're still of a really good age. There are some good ones we've missed out on or I just don't think would suit our recruitment.

Souleymane Isaak Toure - Plays for Marseille, doubt they'll be dealing with us right now.
Rasmus Nicolaisen - Had numerous fines and disciplinary matters with betting problems.
Robert Atkinson - Coming back from a long term injury.
Igor Julio - Signing for Brighton
Nicolas Hernandez - Signed for Internacional in Jan
Attila Szalai - Missed out with our loan to buy deal
Callum Doyle - On loan at Leicester
Omar Alderete - Getafe took up their loan option
Lorenzo Pirola - Salernitana took up their loan option
Diego Leite - Union Berlin took up their loan option
Cenk Ozkacar - Valencia took up their loan option

There are players out there, it just depends on their availability for a club in our financial position at the moment.
 
McDonagh Blade said:
Many thanks for your excellent analysis. Seems however that all we can do at the moment is a loan with a view to buy. How many of those fall in to that category??
Click to expand...
In all fairness I do think all of them could be available with a loan with option to buy. The only problem is if our interest alerts clubs to players availability and they can buy them permanently this season like with the Szalai deal. In terms of the most likely out of those though, my money would be on Stanley Nsoki and Auston Trusty.
 
Hamandcheese said:
Kempf, Brooks or Uduokhai from the Bundesliga?
Click to expand...
Uduokhai was one I analysed along with the ones above but just didn't stand out as much as those. Decent shout though wouldn't be against it.

Brooks is poor in possession and doesn't fit our age profile.

Kempf is one who would be okay in possession and really good defensively. Must admit I limited my search to 26 years old or younger, if I hadn't he probably would've been looked at a bit. Depending on availability on younger players, could certainly do worse than him but even with a fairly limited budget I think we could do better.
 
Calblade said:
It’s been no secret that the Blades are wanting to bring in a new left sided centre back.

I’ve looked at the data of hundreds of left footed defenders who fit the criteria of what United might be looking for as well as only including players might be able to attract to the club should they be interested. I’ve then whittled it down to 8 players and will now cut these down into five options where I will choose the best players to fit into each category. All data sets are from a minimum of around 2000 minutes at least, from last season.


Best attacking option - Hiroki Ito
Value - £10m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £22k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2025
Age - 24
Height - 6ft 2in
Nationality - Japanese
Languages spoke - Japanese & German
Formations most common in - 343
Longest time out injured - Ten days
Stats best in per 90 mins - Progressive passes (5.55), expected assisted goals (0.07), key passes (0.7), passes into final 3rd (4.99), crosses (1.86), shot creating actions (1.72), shot creating actions from live play (1.12), errors (0), carries into final third (0.95)
Characteristics - Likes to cross, likes to play long balls and switch play, will hold onto the ball, strong passer, very quick, reads the game well, comfortable on right side
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - Ito is a really accomplished, forward thinking defender and has improved in all aspects of his game year on year. He’s been capped by Japan and already picked up around 5000 minutes in the Bundesliga. Tottenham and Napoli have been rumoured to have been interested in him and is supposedly available for around £9m. He can play at centre half or at wing back as well so his versatility is another strength. Stuttgart don’t need to get rid but could the lure of Premier League football tempt Ito to try and force his way out. He’s at a really good age, got a high ceiling of the level he can get too, is familiar with the formation we play and got the skill set to really flourish in the wide centre back role we would deploy him in. Could a loan with sizeable transfer option (as we had planned with Szalai) be achieved. Its one I would really like to see.


Best defensive option - Marco Friedl
Value - £7m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £14k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2026
Age - 25
Height - 6ft 2in
Nationality - Austrian
Languages spoke - German & English
Formations most common in - 352
Longest time out injured - One month
Stats best in per 90 mins - Passes into penalty area (0.62), crosses into penalty area (0.21), dribblers tackled (1.42), dribblers challenged (2.36), clearances (4.41), ball recoveries (8.57)
Charateristics - Likes to play long balls, likes to tackle, good anticipation to intercept, will hold onto the ball, poor discipline, good anticipation, composed in possession
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - While Friedl is definitely the most accomplished defender out of these five players, he can still impact play moving forward. Just coming off the back of another decent season in the Bundesliga where he’s played on the left of a back three so again wouldn’t be unfamiliar in our formation. Knows the language so would hope he could fit into the group as well. Has international experience and is the captain of Werder Bremen. Again, not in a position where they have to sell but would be interesting to see if he could be tempted to England.


Best loan option - Auston Trusty
Value - £10m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £14k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2026
Age - 24
Height - 6ft 3in
Nationality - American
Languages spoke - English & Spanish
Formations most common in - 4231
Longest time out injured - None
Stats best in per 90 mins - Errors (0)
Characteristics - Likes to tackle, likes to dribble, safe passer, fairly quick, reads game well
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - In terms of statistics, Trusty isn’t the highest in many of these percentiles but he really is a solid well rounded option that we could do worse then. He just won supporters player of the year on loan at Birmingham and is currently with Arsenal on their pre-season tour in America where he has featured. The Gunners now have Gabriel, Kiwior and Trusty who are left footed centre backs, Saliba, Holding, Timber can all play there as well so wouldn’t be surprised if they let him out on loan again this season where logical a loan higher up the pyramid would make sense. A loan with an option to buy should he be a success could be a decent option!


Best cheap option - Stanley Nsoki
Value - £5.5m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £22k) (Capology)
Contract expires - 2027
Age - 24
Height - 6ft
Nationality - French
Languages spoke - French & Dutch
Formations most common in - 352
Longest time out injured - One month
Stats best in per 90 mins - Errors (0), take ons attempted (1.47), successful take ons (0.84)
Characteristics - Likes to dribble, likes to play short passes, quick, confident in possession
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - Really good dribbler of the ball, a strong physical profile and good recovery speed. French speaking so would be able to speak to and be in groups of our squad while he learnt English. He has Champions League and Europa League experience and at a good age where he can improve and develop. Only featured in four of Hoffenheims last fourteen games, and with them supposedly interested in Altar Szalai, he might find minutes few and far between this season. Has been rumoured to lack concentration or discipline at times, but if United could extract his key qualities on a consistent scale there’s certainly a very good player there.


Best well rounded option - Nicolas Diaz Huincales
Value - £3m (Transfermarkt)
Wage - £7k (Capology)
Contract expires - 2025
Age - 24
Height - 5ft 11in
Nationality - Chilean
Languages spoke - Spanish
Formations most common in - 532 & 4231
Longest time out injured - None
Stats best in per 90 mins - Progressive carries (1.32), progressive passes received (1.32), tackles won (1.74), interceptions (2.37), Tackles+Interceptions (5.29), touches in the attacking third (6.33), aerials won (70%)
Characteristics - Likes to dribble, likes to get forward, likes to tackle, uses his body well, aggressive & determined
Youtube compilation -
Opinion - One player that I’m sure few will know much about but one that has really impressed in his time in Mexico. A Chilean international who is able to play at centre back and wing back, Diaz is someone who doesn’t hesitate to get forward but also anticipates danger really well while not letting attackers who are bigger than him beat him in the air that often. His dataset does come from a lesser quality league, but he is a quality player that stands out in it.



Overall, with the success the teams scouting department had in bringing in Ahmedhodzic last season, I don’t doubt for a second who United will bring in won’t be unable to do the role that we expect from our outside centre backs. For what it’s worth, my pick of the bunch would be Hiroki Ito, a very good price for a very good player at both sides of the game, we could either set ourselves up for that position for the next few years with signing him or make a profit should he be a success.

If anyone wants to know the data criteria I highlighted while researching for this position I’ll be happy to share. As I mentioned I had a look at quite a few left footed defenders, if anyone has a player not on this list and wants to know why they aren’t on then let me know who you think should be on here.
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I suspect the club is a few steps ahead of you and fortunately it’s them that will make the decisions
 

Snowflake said:
I suspect the club is a few steps ahead of you and fortunately it’s them that will make the decisions
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This makes me think, has anybody put forward any suggestions which we could've afforded and have gone on to prove their worth?
 
FFS Blades , hurry up and sign a starting quality LCB or we are fucked , having only Robbo who can play there on his natural foot - if he gets sent off in the first game…
 
I'm surprised we aren't putting the big money we're reportedly bidding for Mikautadze towards a permanent quality LCB. That's unless there is significantly more money floating around than initially reported and we can afford both plus Doyle on permanent moves (and a left midfield and maybe another goalkeeper as loans plus new contracts for Ndiaye and a few others). If we can do all that, I reckon we have a decent enough team to give the PL a good crack.
 
Sounds like this is the next signing through the door, likely to be a complete unknown, probably from Scandinavia or the like. Hope we can get them up to speed quickly because we need depth in defence before the league starts.

A decent LCB and then Doyle through the door and I'd be reasonably happy going into the season.
 
Westran said:
Sounds like this is the next signing through the door, likely to be a complete unknown, probably from Scandinavia or the like. Hope we can get them up to speed quickly because we need depth in defence before the league starts.

A decent LCB and then Doyle through the door and I'd be reasonably happy going into the season.
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Me too. As long as we keep Ndiaye. Still think we might end up with O'Brien
 
Westran said:
Sounds like this is the next signing through the door, likely to be a complete unknown, probably from Scandinavia or the like. Hope we can get them up to speed quickly because we need depth in defence before the league starts.

A decent LCB and then Doyle through the door and I'd be reasonably happy going into the season.
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thats 2 but for me we need 4 more another midfielder and another striker
 
ancientblade said:
thats 2 but for me we need 4 more another midfielder and another striker
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Wait how many are you wanting us to bring in bud??

Another striker almost certainly ain't happening (unless Ndiaye leaves)
 


Might not be interested in a move to us but after being a bit part player on loan at Leipzig last year and miles away from the starting 11 at PSG, we aren’t a million miles away from his level. I can’t imagine he would cost a lot in terms of a fee but wages could be fairly high (€98k PW at PSG according to one of the random websites stating everyone’s wage). Maybe a loan deal would be more realistic.
 
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