Klaus wrote:

I don't think Kroos is good enough defensively to last a full season in that position. Might as well put Wilshere there in that case. He's not good enough either but he has a much higher ceiling as a player.

I'm shocked the very people who don't want Wilshere to play CM are advocating for us to play Kroos there. Kroos lacks the ball winning ability of Ramsey or Wilshere's ability to cover space (yes I beleive he's got it in him when he isn't obsessed with being a goal scoring 'midfielder' like Lampard or Gerrard). I remember Low getting loads of criticism for asking Kroos to do a man marking job on Pirlo (when Germany were without the ball) at the Euros and Pirlo absolutely destroyed Germany.

Kroos for me is Xavi without the tactical awareness and the elite technique to play in tight areas and a bit Lampard with his late runs and ability to strike the ball. If we are looking for a ball playing German midfielder with good defensive skills, then Gundogan is the man, but it looks like he's a crock.

Guardiola prefers his man Alcantara to Kroos and manu are prepared to throw silly money his way so that's where he will end up. I don't think bayern will say anything to disrupt the squad while they are still chasing 2 more trophies.

Kroos came through their youth system, didn't he? No way should he be left go if that's the case.

Bold Tone wrote:

Guardiola prefers his man Alcantara to Kroos and manu are prepared to throw silly money his way so that's where he will end up. I don't think bayern will say anything to disrupt the squad while they are still chasing 2 more trophies.

Thiago is the more talented player, but Bayern shouldn't sell. They need to keep that core (Gotze, Kroos, Thiago, Alaba, Nuer etc) for as long as possible. They are all still very young, the likes of Ribery, Robben, Schwieni etc won't be around for long, it would make it easier for them to rebuild.

Btw Thiago's brother at Celta looks another top class talent.

Problem is Kroos is not content with being a bit-part player plus 250k pw is a little bit enticing.

Kroos will fit united perfectly. Spraying it out to their wingers

I don't see where Kroos would fit for us at all. Wouldn't work next to Ramsey and he's not as good as Ozil at 10.

Klaus wrote:

I don't think Kroos is good enough defensively to last a full season in that position. Might as well put Wilshere there in that case. He's not good enough either but he has a much higher ceiling as a player.

You guys are selling Kroos way too short. He is miles ahead of Wilshere at this point. In fact, I have severe doubts Wilshere will ever reach the level Kroos is at tactically and how he reads the game. He is certainly as good as Ramsey, but quite a bit better defensively, and IMO would be the best possible player to play alongside Ramsey.

Gotta say, I think Kroos is a couple of levels below Ramsey in most aspects. He's a good player, very good even, but there's a reason he doesn't start for either club or country. You need someone whose primary instinct is to defend as soon as we lose the ball, someone who does the quiet ungrateful job; especially with a playmaker and an attackminded box to box midfielder in front of him. That player is never going to be Toni Kroos. It's not what his game is about.

I agree with you, to a point. A Ramsey/Kroos partnership would be two players who are equally capable of both defending and attacking. Kroos is a bit better defensively with his reading of the game, positioning and shooting technique, while Ramsey is better at making deep runs, getting into goal scoring positions and tackling. For me, Kroos is the better player on the ball too. He rarely holds on to the ball too long, which Ramsey has a tendency to do, and he is more consistent in his long passing. Ramsey is better at driving forward with the ball at his feet. No dedicated 'defensive midfielder' (which is something I hate btw), but just two exceptional all action midfielders.

This year Guardiola has him playing in a lot more restricted role, and thus his goals and assists are down. Last year though, where Heynkes gave him a lot more freedom, he posted similar stats in the league to what Ramsey has produced thus far this season in the PL, in roughly the same amount of games that Ramsey has played this year in the league.

Had to look up Kroos' stats too, because I thought your claim that he is not a certain starter was off. In 30 Bundesliga games this season he has started 22, and he has started 9 of Bayern's 10 CL games. Looks a certain starter to me...
As for Germany, he has started 7 of their last 8 games. I don't expect that to change for the WC either.

Kroos is a good player, but not sure he's what we need in central midfield. I don't think his positional awareness is good enough to be a sitting xabi alonso-type and he lacks the mobility and tenacity of someone like Fernandinho.

Why all those Kroos talk? Give me some beasts/units behind Ramsey and Ozil.

When someone like Kroos is available, you don't reject him.

I highly doubt there's anyone close to as good as Kroos available this summer. It wouldn't be a crime not to get him, but not to try would certainly be one. Same with Reus in 2015 when his 30m clause is active.

5 days later

He looks a cracking player in the making but I think that is out of our budget for this summer 🙁

I call bullshit.