I say, is it too much to ask for both?
We do actually need two goalkeepers. It’s why we’re in this position in the first place.
It’s no secret that Ruben Amorim wants a new shot-stopper. He’s probably wanted a new no 1 since he first stepped foot into Carrington as what he saw would’ve wanted to make him cry.
Now, he might finally be getting that new goalkeeper that United have been flirting with all summer. With just hours left of the window, the club are cutting it close yet with Emi Martinez seemingly frothing at the mouth to come to Old Trafford, this potential deal might not take too long.
This isn’t the first time we’ve been linked with the World Cup winner as earlier in the transfer window, it was reported that United wanted him or Porto’s Diogo Costa. Now, it looks more like it’s Martinez vs the young Belgian Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp.
Fabrizio Romano said last night that the Argentine has already agreed personal terms with United however, he also said that “Dibu is back as concrete option for #MUFC if Lammens deal doesn’t happen.
Talks well underway now.”
This suggests that we do prefer the Belgian but there is a strong chance of Martinez taking over from Bayindir/Onana. Martinez was also left out of Aston Villa’s matchday squad for the visit of Crystal Palace as manager Unai Emery simply replied “Marco Bizot” who replaced the Argentine in the team when questioned about his usual no 1's absence from the squad. This further proved that Martinez is likely on his way out as has appeared to be the case since Villa’s 2-0 defeat to United at the end of last season. The goalkeeper’s red card was said to be his final nail in the coffin of his time at the club.
With these reports though, it looks like Martinez is more the backup should we not get Lammens. The Athletic are saying that "Manchester United have agreed personal terms with Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, but there is not yet a club-to-club agreement on a transfer." They add that Villa are also monitoring his situation.
Final Thoughts
I’ve got to be honest and say that unless we’re signing Alisson, I don’t rate a lot of goalkeepers out there. The Liverpool no 1 ticks all of the boxes for me whereas a lot of the rest of them don’t.
We’re obviously not going to get Alisson so who would be the next best?
Costa at Porto is probably the closest thing to LFC's no 1 but United don't appear in for him. I also believe he will be quite expensive which could be a stumbling block as well.
Lammens is someone I don’t know much about. I doubt there are many who do. You would trust that United scouted him properly and back them in that they’ve chosen a top goalkeeper with a huge potential for the future, but that’s just it with him: he’s more for the future.
At 23 years old and having spent his entire career (professional and youth level) in Belgium, it shows that he isn’t the most experienced or played at a high level which could be a risk.
People will say that we signed David de Gea at an even younger age (20) and despite early problems, he turned out well. But with him, he was playing for Atletico Madrid in La Liga, had Sir Alex Ferguson take one of only three days off in his 27 years as manager to scout him (which should tell you something), and he also had an experienced team full of leaders and winners around him with the greatest manager of all time in the dugout to guide him whenever necessary. All these factors make the Spaniard's move different to that of Lammens.
The Belgian wouldn’t have those factors to help him if he were to have issues embedding into the team, league and country. He could of course, still be a top goalkeeper but could be isn’t the most convincing.
I think Martinez is the best option.
Half the fan base talk about not wanting Amorim to get sacked and not wanting to have to go through the cycle again. At the moment, he is on thin ice because with every bad game, the knives will be out. The win over Burnley bought him some time but after the break, United face City and Chelsea, two teams that will probably beat us. Despite United being the underdogs, suffering defeat won’t stop the vultures from circling. We will hear ‘he should change the system’, ‘he’s too stubborn’, and ‘Amorim out.’
If those who want him to be a success at the club and stay for the next 20 years as Amorim himself has stated, then surely we have to look at what’s good for the now?
In order for the manager to not face the usual negativity and potentially being sacked this season, he will need players who will help him last until next year at least. Young, inexperienced players are not the answer regardless of their potential, in my opinion.
Lammens could be great in the future but we cannot be looking so far ahead when we’re struggling at the moment.
This situation reminds me of Benjamin Sesko or Ollie Watkins. I do like Sesko and we know the potential but having signed quite late in the window, it’s meant that he hasn’t much time in the team and as per Amorim, the reason he didn’t start in Saturday’s win was because he was feeling cramps in last Wednesday’s defeat to Grimsby. The manager was unwilling to risk him. This cramp issue could be down to the fact that Sesko didn't play as much football in pre-season as he would've liked before joining United.
Watkins may not have trained much with United either, but he certainly knows the league having played in the Premier League for the last five years. He is also more experienced at 29 compared to Sesko at 22.
Watkins could’ve slotted straight in.
Cunha and Mbeumo are the best examples of this. Two players at a great age (25) and with PL experience can make such a difference.
The Brazilian Cunha has been a standout for Amorim so far. How importance he is to the team was shown by Amorim’s reaction to his new signing getting injured in the 3-2 win over Burnley.
While he didn’t join until later in the window, so much so that he hardly featured in pre-season, Mbeumo has become a pivotal player for Amorim too. The Cameroonian has started in all three league matches and has scored in his last two in all competitions. Mbeumo has quickly become a fan favorite and a player that we can all see why United wanted to sign him.
To have players of that experience, being PL-proven and possess the quality that they do is quite rare. The difference they make to the team is tenfold. This is why I feel like Martinez is the goalkeeper we need, at least for the now.
'Dibu' may not be the ideal choice but like Mbeumo and Cunha and unlike Sesko and Lammens, he is more experienced, played in the Premier League for many years, is a key player for the Argentina national team (and played a vital part in them winning the 2022 World Cup), and has this aura about him.
Martinez can be a bit of a knobhead but he uses this to get into the heads of oppositions. It maybe frustrating as an opponent but for your team, it can be the difference-maker.
At almost 33 years old, Martinez is still young for a goalkeeper. United signed Edwin van der Sar from Fulham at 34. He spent 6 years at Old Trafford and was a difference-maker as well. The Dutchman was experienced and PL-proven too. He turned out pretty well in the end.
Martinez will also provide leadership in this team, something that is seriously lacking. There is also a respect that he demands given what he’s achieved and how he can come across whilst in goal. On top of it all, compared to Onana and Bayindir, Martinez is commanding in his box. He won’t miss as many crosses and corners as they do. And he is brilliant at saving penalties which would’ve come in handy last Wednesday.
I feel that our defense and team in general will feel more confident knowing we have a goalkeeper like him between the sticks.
He is a bit shaky himself as some stats would suggest he is worse than Onana (Martinez has apparently had more errors leading to goals than United’s current no 1) and nor do I think he has the best distribution but I don’t care about those things.
Yes he perhaps makes more mistakes than he should but I don’t think it’s anything we haven’t seen with our currents goalies. But like I said, the aura and command of Martinez is something that we definitely don’t have with Bayindir and Onana. We need that presence.
Such deals as Martinez may not be long-term but what they can do is give us what we need now. I cannot emphasize this enough as we are not in a position to be looking ahead. The start to the season has been okay but going out in the second round to Grimsby (deservedly) has cast a big, dark shadow over what could’ve been a decent start to an all important campaign.
We’ve spoken so long about lacking experience and leadership so why then bring in another player who lacks experience and leadership in Lammens?
If Amorim is to succeed especially in the short-term and hope to be here for 20 years, he’s going to need to get results fast. Playing good football is another necessity and I believe the best way for him to achieve that is by getting in players who can help him now, like Martinez.
It is transfer deadline day and we’ve already had the ‘Here we go’ for Antony to Real Betis for €25m as well as Sancho to Villa but let’s be honest, these two never really arrived in Manchester, did they? I like Antony (don't really care much about Sancho) but they were never good enough. Going to Betis and Villa just shows the level they're truly at with all due respect to those clubs.
As we know, Garnacho is already at Chelsea.
I don’t give such players as this ‘bomb squad’ the light of day because they have been massive let downs over the years. Getting rid of them in whatever manner was necessary even if it’s not the best of deals. Such characters needed to be removed from United and I’m glad we’re doing so.
For me the more pressing matter is the goalkeeper and whether or not we do any other business today.
I’m sure throughout the day there will be more talk but whether it’s anything major (other than the goalkeeper) we’ll have to wait and see.
But what do you think? Which goalkeeper would you rather have? How you feeling about the departures of Antony, Garnacho and Sancho? And do you think we’ll do any other business today?
Emi Martinez could be on his way to Man Utd | James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages via The Pride of London