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Manchester United’s midfield was almost non-existent in the game against Liverpool on Sunday as the Merseysiders attacked at will and should have scored more than two at Old Trafford.
Manager Erik ten Hag’s chaos ball style saw all the players push up except the back four and Casemiro was seen struggling to track back time and again.
The Brazilian was arguably the signing of last season but this shift in tactics from the Dutchman has almost rendered the Brazilian useless and there have been multiple reports linking him with a summer exit.
The former Real Madrid superstar has lost a yard of pace, he is on huge wages and new co-owners INEOS are not too impressed with the club for agreeing such a short-term fix.
Casemiro’s time up
The Red Devils had spent £70 million on the five-time Champions League winner and Saudi Arabian clubs are prepared to spend big to land Casemiro.
United will need a replacement and they plan to sign young stars instead of big-name players looking for one last pay day and links have emerged with the likes of Joao Neves, Youssouf Fofana, and Teun Koopmeiners just to name a few.
Another player whose name has started doing the rounds is Premier League star Joao Gomes of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Popularly called “The Pitbull” for his defensive work-rate, the Brazilian has largely been used as a No 8 since his £12 million move last year but can double up as a defensive midfielder, where he made his name back home.
He has two goals and one assist in 31 games across all competitions this season and his displays against Manchester City and Tottenham caught everyone’s eye and the 23-year-old has since made his debut for Brazil in the recent international break in place of the injured Casemiro.
Today’s edition of O Dia (via Sport Witness) have claimed that Arsenal have joined the race for the former Flamengo star who is reportedly valued at £40 million.
The report even states that the Gunners are more serious than United with their interest and “may make an offer” as soon as the window opens.
Arsenal enter the race
They are reportedly prepared to go the distance to land their target and it will be interesting to see in which direction this transfer battle turns.
Ideally, INEOS should be all over this signing considering he is Premier League-proven and will not cost as much as some other targets.
Gomes’ stats back up this claim with the “flawless” midfielder being third in the Premier League list of tackles made this season with 83, and is in the top three percent for blocks as per Fbref.
His industry and ball-winning skills make him the perfect partner for the supremely-gifted Kobbie Mainoo and this could be a transfer worth keeping an eye on.
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