talkSPORT are reporting that we are preparing to raid Benfica for Fabio Coentrao this summer...

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Doesn't Coentrao play on the left?

yeah he is a LB...but he ain't never gonna replace Ash is he....maybe he plays on the right too??? who knows.

as yet just speculation, the dippers were after him too i recall.....

Edited March 18, 201115 yr by WV2 Blue

Not necessarily a bad buy - He's 7 years Ashley's junior, so if he's happy being a project then I'd say go for it. Apparently he can play left wing as well, which is another area we could do with cover

Doesn't Coentrao play on the left?

au contraire....o

yeah he plays left back, just wanted to try and use that play on his name. It didnt really work did it.

Not necessarily a bad buy - He's 7 years Ashley's junior, so if he's happy being a project then I'd say go for it. Apparently he can play left wing as well, which is another area we could do with cover

I don't think we really need cover for left back - we've got Bertrand and van Aanholt, who are both close to being ready for first team football. Left wing? Well, I'd be happy to see Coentrao come in if Malouda was to leave, but I'm far more worried about our right flank, we are so weak on that side.

au contraire....o

yeah he plays left back, just wanted to try and use that play on his name. It didnt really work did it.

:D

Coentrao's massive at the moment, so I doubt he'd come if he wasn't going to start (I'd imagine the price tag would be quite hefty as well). If we did buy him, it would probably mean we'd be shipping out Cole.

I can't see this when we already have Coley aswell unless Coley is been sold in the summer which I hope he isnt but you just never know.

Ramires, Luiz, Coentrao?

Why dont we just buy the whole of Benfica squad along with their scouting team and be done with it?

Coentrao is a left-winger converted to a left-back, so i'd say he is likely a replacement for the departing Yuri Zhirkov. I don't know why though, as Coentrao would cost at least as much as Zhirkov did in the first place.

I don't think Yuri will be so keen to leave come May, he might get a solid run in the next little while.

I don't think there is any way this happens. Ashley Cole will probably be with the club for 2-3 more years and Coentrao commands a deal worth north of 25 million. Plus I heard Man U is really looking to snap him up. I would lay off him and direct that money somewhere else.

Why dont we just buy the whole of Benfica squad along with their scouting team and be done with it?

Sounds like a good plan to me

I like Coentrao, he impressed me every time I watched Benfica. He is solid defensively and very useful in the attack, technically very gifted and is at the right age to make a move to a bigger club. From what I've sen of him he could play both fullback and winger roles. To me, he'd be a good choice as a long term replacement for Ash.

We have got plenty of players who could be employed on the left though, and someone has to make way. Ashley is a keeper until the end of his career, Zhirkov is a question mark because of his injury history and Malouda has been regressing this season and is turning 31 in the summer. Then there's young Van Aanholt who certainly shows promise.

Although I don't think he is needed, he is definately the better crossed out of him, cole and zhirkov. If he stays at benfica for another and doesn't sign for a major club, then next year with ash nearly 33 then it would make more sense. What I've of patrick van aanholt, he could very wel eclipse the 2, and save us 25m.

Coentrao is amazing. This kid has big time talent and has some versatility similar to Zhirkov only better. Although we still haven't seen how good Zhirkov can be.

Not necessarily a bad buy - He's 7 years Ashley's junior, so if he's happy being a project then I'd say go for it. Apparently he can play left wing as well, which is another area we could do with cover

Barring the "7 years his junior" isn't that EXACTLY what Zhirkov is for us??

Barring the "7 years his junior" isn't that EXACTLY what Zhirkov is for us??

Reasonable comment, and whilst I wholeheartedly agree with what you're saying, there are many people around that have pretty much written Zhirkov off already. Also, I don't think Yuri is particularly comfortable playing in defence, he's looked at his best when allowed to play on the wing.