Rating The Rumour – Diogo Costa to Manchester United | OneFootball

Manchester United Rethinking the Goalkeeper Position?

Welcome back to Rating the Rumour, which does exactly what it says on the tin. We’ll be taking the biggest transfer rumours related to Premier League teams and rating the likelihood of the moves coming to fruition.

The final rating will be decided based on the potential fit of the player into the rumoured buying club, the need for that club to sign a player for the position played, whether the player is of the level required by the club, whether the club could afford the rumoured price and whether or not the player is even likely to be available for transfer.

We will not factor in the reliability of the rumour, as it would likely cause mass amounts of crying from outlets, journalists and “journalists” who would have to be denounced as spoofers.

With the ground rules laid out, let’s look at Diogo Costa to Manchester United which is a common rumour that multiple outlets have reported.

Fit

Costa is a talented shotstopper who’s comfortable passing out from the back. That fits what Erik Ten Hag wants from a goalkeeper. At 24 he also fits the age profile that United should be targetting as they look to build a young, talented team that can develop together over the next four to five years.

The knock on Costa is that he can struggle on crosses and if the less physical, less cross-heavy Portuguese Primeira Liga then it could become a major issue in the Premier League.

Fit Rating – 1/2

Need

Manchester United had a need for a goalkeeper more suited to Ten Hag’s ideas of building from the back heading into last summer. David De Gea was the incumbent number 1 and it had become clear that he did not suit what Ten Hag wanted, nor did the other options at the club.

United spent almost £50mil to bring Andre Onana to the club in the summer, reuniting Ten Hag with another of his former Ajax players. Onana represented an upgrade on De Gea in terms of playing out from the back, but a downgrade in terms of shot-stopping and dealing with crosses.

The signing of Onana means there is close to no chance United will be looking for another goalkeeper anytime soon, because should Ten Hag admit that he made a big mistake in signing Onana it could cost him his job given the cost associated with the deal.

Need Rating – 0/2

Level

There’s no question that Costa is a good goalkeeper, but is he good enough for Manchester United? His form for Porto has been relatively consistent but he is a goalkeeper capable of spectacular capitulations and silly errors. In many ways, he’s very similar to Onana. Not quite as good with is feet, but a slightly better shotstopper.

Is he good enough for United right now? Sure. Is he good enough if they want to win major honours? That is far less certain.

Level Rating – 1/2

Affordability

Costa is believed to have a release clause of £65mil in his Porto contract, a price that would make him the second most expensive goalkeeper of all time. Talented as he might be, that is far more than a goalkeeper of his standing should cost.

With United having spent so recklessly over the past decade, including the near £50mil dropped on Onana in the summer, it seems unthinkable that they would be willing to spend £65mil on another goalkeeper who is not of an established world class level.

Affordability Rating – 0/2

For Sale?

Porto have made their stance quite clear. Costa is available, but only to clubs willing to pay his buy-out clause. They will not negotiate on the price, though they may be willing to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement on the payment terms.

If Costa had a shorter contract, perhaps Porto would come down on the price but as he is contracted to the club until the summer of 2027 they have no reason to budge off their price.

Availability Rating – 1/2

Final Rating

Overall we would rate this as a 3/10 rumour. It seems like a lazy link to a player United have shown interest in previously, regurgitated because Onana has had such a poor start to his Manchester United career.