Man Utd need an Alisson: Four options to replace De Gea

Sam McGuire

16 Jun 2023 09:07 CDT
5 min read

Casemiro, Erik ten Hag, Man Utd, Europa League, 2022/23 — © ProShots

Contract talks between David de Gea and Manchester United have stalled and unless the Spaniard agrees to take a massive pay cut, he will leave Old Trafford this summer.

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Even before this news broke, it was clear that something had to change between the sticks at United. De Gea played an up-and-down season and particularly the defeats in the Europa League quarter-final at Sevilla and in the league at West Ham gave manager Erik ten Hag cause for thought.

The Red Devils were routed 3-0 in southern Spain, and while De Gea was far from the only member of the squad to blame for an abject performance all over the field, the timing of his display could scarcely have been worse. At West Ham a few weeks later, another De Gea blunder saw United come away empty-handed again.

Ten Hag has had issues with De Gea's limitations with the ball at his feet, and the manner in which United conceded their first and third goals at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan must have concerned the manager in particular. First, De Gea gave the ball to Harry Maguire in an impossible position, and secondly he completely mismanaged a late foray from his box.

MORE: Man Utd put brutal clause in new De Gea contract

It was not Man Utd's first calamity this season, but it was the goalkeeper's most obviously poor performance. One must remember that the Red Devils have a history of spending big on players.

Their starting XI in the 7-0 loss to Liverpool included Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Antony, players signed during the summer transfer window for a combined €220 million.

It also contained Fred and Bruno Fernandes, two players signed for over €110m while Harry Maguire (€87m), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (€55m) and Jadon Sancho (€85m) were part of the matchday squad.

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The point is the Red Devils have added defenders, midfielders and attackers over recent seasons. It is about time they address the goalkeeper situation, though they may be somewhat strapped for cash given the uncertainty over the club ownership.

De Gea has to be up there with one of the club’s best-ever signings. United paid a then British record €25m in 2011 to sign the Atletico Madrid youngster and he has, at times, singlehandedly kept them in Champions League contention during what has been a difficult decade for United.

Now 32, De Gea’s deal expires and he was not included on United's retained list. The Spanish shot-stopper had been asked to accept reduced terms to extend his Old Trafford stay, but reports suggest that he had no intention to do so. Now is the time for Erik ten Hag to bring in someone a little better suited to his style.

Unfortunately for De Gea goalkeeping these days is about so much more than just making saves. They have to be able to sweep and be as good as outfielders with the ball at their feet. De Gea likes his six-yard box and isn’t the most confident when looking to pass the ball out.

If we’re being honest, Ten Hag-ball requires a competent ball-playing goalkeeper. With an aggressive No.1 between the sticks, the press can be even higher allowing you to dominate more of the pitch.

So, using the SciSports scouting tool, we’ve come up with a list of potential candidates to replace De Gea at Old Trafford this summer. One of the key boxes to tick was for them to fall into the ball-playing category. Unrealistic names were excluded from the conversation and we narrowed it down to four.

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The first name is Mike Maignan. He signed for AC Milan to replace Gigi Donnarumma and won the Serie A title in his first season with the club. The 27-year-old missed a good chunk of the bygone season due to a calf issue and his absence was felt as Milan struggled while he was out.

According to our Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model, the Frenchman could go for anything between €31m and €51m. Milan do need to sell in order to invest so they could be tempted to cash in on him.

Next up, we have Unai Simon of Athletic Club. The 25-year-old displaced De Gea as Spain’s starting goalkeeper and could well do the same for Manchester United. The 25-year-old is contracted to the Basque club until 2025 and there is reportedly no clause in his deal. He has been likened to Alisson and does seem suited to the rigours of the Premier League. Simon has an ETV of €48m.

The Red Devils may prefer to shop elsewhere in the Basque region with Real Sociedad shot-stopper Alex Remiro showing up favourably in this search. The 27-year-old has a contract with the club until 2027 and his ETV has him in the region of €43m.