Alessia Russo | leaves United for Arsenal

Losing Russo (and Batlle) is a big blow. Hurts our chances and I’m not confident we’ll replace them this window.
 
Ayush_reddevil said:
I am so sad about this. So depressing irrespective of why it happened. It’s mad to me that we had Lauren James & Russo and somehow we have ended up keeping neither
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Lauren James going to Chelsea always felt an inevitability to me, right from when we signed her in 2018, so her going was not a surprise. Russo leaving hurts more with the personal connection and feels like it could have been avoided if we were serious with negotiations from the off.
 
Lightbringer said:
You compare a regular job at some company to a newly founded football club that is trying to build a sustainable way of operating the womens team? The stress about the situation? Russo was speaking to 10 clubs and offering her services to the highest bidder via her brother who acted as her agent. How is that stressful? You did not counter what I wrote in my post, you just ignored it and are writing it off like United should have just handed her the best contract in the league before the clubs structure was in place for that. Not even sure if she would be worth paying that much for her football contributions alone either tbh.

Was it perfectly handled by the club? No. Would Russo still be here if she really loved Man United, yes.
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I've worked at start-ups, one that is now valued significantly more than Manchester United in fact. That's how the real world works, it's a job, of course she's going to see what her current market rate is, most high level professionals will interview now and again to see where they currently stand even if they don't really plan on leaving. Yes, it is stressful when you don't know where you'll be or where you'll be located in a few months. If someone is willing to pay you £x and your contract is running down and you tell who you are working for that fact and they feck around for 18 months and then match it at the end then they find out. No hard feelings about it, I've been on the flip side and I'd never really expect such a late matching offer to be accepted.
 
IWat said:
I've worked at start-ups, one that is now valued significantly more than Manchester United in fact. That's how the real world works, it's a job, of course she's going to see what her current market rate is, most high level professionals will interview now and again to see where they currently stand even if they don't really plan on leaving. Yes, it is stressful when you don't know where you'll be or where you'll be located in a few months. If someone is willing to pay you £x and your contract is running down and you tell who you are working for that fact and they feck around for 18 months and then match it at the end then they find out. No hard feelings about it, I've been on the flip side and I'd never really expect such a late matching offer to be accepted.
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18 months ago Russo was returning from long term injury and had very little value in terms of what she had proved on the pitch, so thats the reason the club did not hand her a Maradona contract from the get go.Then she broke through with England and her value sky rocketed. I think she is not worth what she will be getting for what she gave us on the pitch. But maybe that Arsenal all star team will pimp up her stats. Lets hope not for our sake.

Anyway, I see your point of view, I dont agree completely, we´ll just have to agree to disagree.
 
Lightbringer said:
18 months ago Russo was returning from long term injury and had very little value in terms of what she had proved on the pitch, so thats the reason the club did not hand her a Maradona contract from the get go.Then she broke through with England and her value sky rocketed. I think she is not worth what she will be getting for what she gave us on the pitch. But maybe that Arsenal all star team will pimp up her stats. Lets hope not for our sake.

Anyway, I see your point of view, I dont agree completely, we´ll just have to agree to disagree.
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She might have agreed to join Arsenal ages ago, because she did not hear anything from us on an improved offer. Then we have paniced. Some people do not like going back on their word. The club should not play on somebody supporting the club to short change them.
 
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If she does go to Arsenal, would Blackstenius be an option to replace her? I’m sure that was the proposal in January, and we were linked with her before she joined Arsenal.
 
Maestro14 said:
If she does go to Arsenal, would Blackstenius be an option to replace her? I’m sure that was the proposal in January, and we were linked with her before she joined Arsenal.
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Were we getting her along with a fee. Would we now have to find a fee for her from somewhere?
 
The way the sub was been made last year even when Russo was having a good game, I think Rachel Williams is the plan for a starting number 9 role. Can unfortunately see a few more leaving this summer…
 
thedano said:
The way the sub was been made last year even when Russo was having a good game, I think Rachel Williams is the plan for a starting number 9 role. Can unfortunately see a few more leaving this summer…
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Rachel is 35 and will be close to 36 when the season starts, there is no way she will be Russos replacement and we will just replace Williams bench role. That would be really crazy if that was the plan!
 
thedano said:
The way the sub was been made last year even when Russo was having a good game, I think Rachel Williams is the plan for a starting number 9 role. Can unfortunately see a few more leaving this summer…
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She’s not the plan. Rach came in for experience, she’s not down to be a regular starter.
 
Lightbringer said:
Greenwood, Groenen and James were sold though, right?


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Yes, though we shouldn't have to be in the position of selling our best players either. The first five years of the club have probably gone about as well as anyone could've hoped for but to step up again this kind of stuff needs to stop happening, unless we want to be the Spurs of the WSL.
 
Don't follow this closely, but saw the bbc article.

Is there any reason United turned down world record bids and now are losing her for free?
Aside from dreadful transfer strategy?
 
Sandikan said:
Don't follow this closely, but saw the bbc article.

Is there any reason United turned down world record bids and now are losing her for free?
Aside from dreadful transfer strategy?
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Securing top 3 was more important than getting a few hundred thousand.
 
Sandikan said:
Don't follow this closely, but saw the bbc article.

Is there any reason United turned down world record bids and now are losing her for free?
Aside from dreadful transfer strategy?
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There are quite a few:

Letting Russo leave in january to a direct rival for the domestic title and champions league places would have been a disaster. It would likely have meant us missing top 3 and also sending a clear message that United are a selling club. to be fair we were only 2 blatant penalty snubs by the refs away at Chelsea from winning the title. And also deserved to win the FA-cup final.

The club was probably confident they would reach and agreement with her and also focused on keeping the title bid going! If we had sold Russo in january there would have been a riot among fans.

I dont blame the club for that decision in the slightest! The club obviously was not in Russos head though to know what was brewing there!

We did qualify for the champions league and our reputation should be on the ups to get proper replacement in place for Russo!
 
Lightbringer said:
There are quite a few:

Letting Russo leave in january to a direct rival for the domestic title and champions league places would have been a disaster. It would likely have meant us missing top 3 and also sending a clear message that United are a selling club. to be fair we were only 2 blatant penalty snubs by the refs away at Chelsea from winning the title. And also deserved to win the FA-cup final.

The club was probably confident they would reach and agreement with her and also focused on keeping the title bid going! If we had sold Russo in january there would have been a riot among fans.

I dont blame the club for that decision in the slightest! The club obviously was not in Russos head though to know what was brewing there!

We did qualify for the champions league and our reputation should be on the ups to get proper replacement in place for Russo!
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There was also the timing of the bid. It was the last day of the transfer window. Even if we’d wanted to cash in and use the money for a replacement that was to late.

We make the money she’d have raise by the getting UWCL. But that also gives us the ability to get better players.

So it was right decision for the club, though if it had happened Jan 1st maybe they’d have made another decision.
 
Did I read somewhere, Earps might be off too? This club cant be sold soon enough! We are haemorrhaging our best players each season when we are on the verge of something. We are not a serious club atm
 
RedTiger said:
Why is russo leaving on a free when we turned down good money last year?
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Repeat:

Letting Russo leave in january to a direct rival for the domestic title and champions league places would have been a disaster. It would likely have meant us missing top 3 and also sending a clear message that United are a selling club. to be fair we were only 2 blatant penalty snubs by the refs away at Chelsea from winning the title. And also deserved to win the FA-cup final.

The club was probably confident they would reach and agreement with her and also focused on keeping the title bid going! If we had sold Russo in january there would have been a riot among fans.

I dont blame the club for that decision in the slightest! The club obviously was not in Russos head though to know what was brewing there!

We did qualify for the champions league and our reputation should be on the ups to get proper replacement in place for Russo!

So the long term benefit of the club outweighs the short term money a Russo transfer would have brought in!
 
I see she's gone full Herrera with a big speech about how it was a dream to play for United blah blah blah.

"I love the club, that's why I'm leaving".
 
Kind of abused United the whole day but I am so disappointed in Russo as well. I understand the financial side of things but I am not sure it’s genuinely big enough to leave Man United specially if you claim to have had a special place for the club. This is worse than Greenwood for me because at least at that point we were a level below but no real reason to leave now
 
It stings because Russo and Toone were the faces of the club but she wasn’t on top form for parts of last season. Striker issues for the men’s and women’s team..
 
brian017 said:
Did I read somewhere, Earps might be off too? This club cant be sold soon enough! We are haemorrhaging our best players each season when we are on the verge of something. We are not a serious club atm
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While losing Russo stings, this would hurt far more in every sense.
 
brian017 said:
Did I read somewhere, Earps might be off too? This club cant be sold soon enough! We are haemorrhaging our best players each season when we are on the verge of something. We are not a serious club atm
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Yeah we will totally piss away all of last seasons good work if we aren't careful
 
Himannv said:
It's a complete joke. Shambolic management of the whole situation and I bet we act as slowly as possible to replace her as well. Pathetic from the club.
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Yeah, an appropriate parting gift from the Glazers.
 
Ayush_reddevil said:
This is worse than Greenwood for me because at least at that point we were a level below but no real reason to leave now
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We are still a level below. She joined a club that wanted to break the transfer record to sign her and are happy to invest in their success. United have shown very little ambition here and are losing all their best players as a result.

We’re lucky that we had an option to extend with Earps but she’ll be on her way for a free transfer next season unless we get our act together.
 
miked99 said:
I see she's gone full Herrera with a big speech about how it was a dream to play for United blah blah blah.

"I love the club, that's why I'm leaving".
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Of course Russos camp is going to drop hints to the media to say she wanted to stay and that the club failed her. Thats PR from them to keep the backslash from United fans down and make sure she does not lose followers on instagram etc. Its all about taking care of the brand that ensures she makes money.

 
Ye the PR video she puts out with pics of her as a girl in United kits, talking about living her dreams scoring at OT etc just makes it worse

Anyway will reserve full judgement until her new club is confirmed
 
Himannv said:
We are still a level below. She joined a club that wanted to break the transfer record to sign her and are happy to invest in their success. United have shown very little ambition here and are losing all their best players as a result.

We’re lucky that we had an option to extend with Earps but she’ll be on her way for a free transfer next season unless we get our act together.
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Reports suggest that United were willing to back her wage demands.

Where's the lack of ambition from United here exactly?
 
Lightbringer said:
Of course Russos camp is going to drop hints to the media to say she wanted to stay and that the club failed her. Thats PR from them to keep the backslash from United fans down and make sure she does not lose followers on instagram etc. Its all about taking care of the brand that ensures she makes money.

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Yup I was thinking last night that it’s time people started treating these players as professionals as well and understand that everything is PR controlled now. Both Athletic & BBC claim that United matched her salary. It’s fine if she chose Arsenal after that but spare me this garbage or how much you loved United. You are leaving the club at your peak age after the best season the club has had so you clearly didn’t love them much
 
Before everyone doubles down on hating the club and our current owners, let’s not forget that the WSL makes a loss every year, and is still heavily subsidised by the men’s game.

If we want the women’s game to survive and grow, then salaries have to be sustainable, it needs to be self-sufficient, otherwise things can fall apart very quickly. Chucking huge amounts of money at a problem is not always the answer.
 
Rood said:
Ye the PR video she puts out with pics of her as a girl in United kits, talking about living her dreams scoring at OT etc just makes it worse

Anyway will reserve full judgement until her new club is confirmed
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Clearly not a real United fan if you can leave just as easily as that when we are on the rise.
 
Champ said:
Reports suggest that United were willing to back her wage demands.

Where's the lack of ambition from United here exactly?
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They only came in with that offer really late after they realized she might leave.

You have one club giving her the contract she wants as soon as possible and tries to break the transfer record to get her and any other dilly dallying until the last minute without prioritizing it properly. On top of that, she’s not the only one we’re losing on a free here. I think it’s a fair criticism.
 
The progress and results for the women's team have probably surprised everyone, the top 3 looked set in stone for a long time and when Casey left it seemed we'd be up against it for a while. It's remarkable how we've been in a title run with Chelsea that quickly. Arsenal have been chasing Russo for a long time and can easily see how she would agree to move 12 months ago as United is a new team and still needs a lot of work. Professionally we're just not there regardless of Glazer grumbles

Hopefully we can overcome Russo leaving but it feels like one of those signings to leapfrog us to restore the old order. I fear the next season again but long term I think we can find the players and coaches to be in the top 3 again.

Arsenal Chelsea and mainland Europe are what players are looking at in their careers right now.
 
Himannv said:
They only came in with that offer really late after they realized she might leave.

You have one club giving her the contract she wants as soon as possible and tries to break the transfer record to get her and any other dilly dallying until the last minute without prioritizing it properly. On top of that, she’s not the only one we’re losing on a free here. I think it’s a fair criticism.
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That's usually how negotiations work, no difference anywhere else.

She could have stayed if she wanted too, this isn't on the club, it's on her.
 
Champ said:
That's usually how negotiations work, no difference anywhere else.

She could have stayed if she wanted too, this isn't on the club, it's on her.
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If they were competent and really prioritized keeping her, they would at least have an idea of what’s in her head. This screams of ineptitude and a lack of proper prioritization. They had 18 months of negotiation and chose to put the offer in the table at the very end when it was far too late - no way that was good negotiation tactics considering the outcome.
 
Himannv said:
If they were competent and really prioritized keeping her, they would at least have an idea of what’s in her head. This screams of ineptitude and a lack of proper prioritization. They had 18 months of negotiation and chose to put the offer in the table at the very end when it was far too late - no way that was good negotiation tactics considering the outcome.
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Would it have been good negotiation tactics had she signed?


Again, this isn't on the club at all, this is solely on the player.
She could have stayed, decided not too. The clubs offer was on on the table, irrespective of when it got there.
 
Champ said:
Would it have been good negotiation tactics had she signed?
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Hard to say. They’ve been at the table for 18 months so they left it too late anyway I think. As soon as she scored that back heel goal it should have been dealt with in my view.
Again, this isn't on the club at all, this is solely on the player.
She could have stayed, decided not too. The clubs offer was on on the table, irrespective of when it got there.
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Let’s agree to disagree then. I think it got there too late and the delay cost us a player who I believe would have stayed on if we put it on the table earlier.

Out of interest, what’s your opinion on the Batlle situation?
 
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