Are we ready for the start of the season?

Ubik said:
We've been buying bad for 10 years, we signed Antony for 90m just two years ago! Casemiro and Mount for well over 100m combined! We have no money to spend because we've already spent it on the wrong players. Our inability to sell to regenerate money to spend on the same position is just a compounding of the error.
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Buying bad is compounded by not selling. But we are now in a position where we can’t “buy good” very easily at all.

Chelsea have squandered millions, but they have a steady stream of sales to mitigate and reinvest (whether the reinvestment is good or bad is irrelevant). That means they can reinvent their team much faster. Same as Liverpool and City.

We’ve sold hardly anyone. How many threads have we had over the past decade about “clearouts” and binning deadwood? Has that ever actually happened since David Gill and Fergie left?

Those mental purchases between 2013-2020 (or up to Maguire/Sancho) rinsed our capital that we should have been recouping through player sales.

We won’t ever have the transfer windows we need until we can sack our players off to more teams. E.g. not selling Lingard when we could have done.
 
Spark said:
But we’re forced to buy bad due to having zero financial rope.

That’s meant we’ve either not backed managers when we needed to, or had to force loans on managers that we never sign permanently (because we never had the intention to). Igahlo, Weghorst, Amrabat, Sabitzer etc

Or free transfers, like Eriksen.

If we can sell McTominay, Maguire, Wan Bissaka our real ability to sign players would be hugely increased and we’d have De Ligt in immediately, considering personal terms are agreed.

Obviously the wages we’ve been dishing out are ridiculous, but we should be more cut throat at selling players. Martial should have been sold to Spurs for 20m or whatever.
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We weren't forced to buy Casemiro and Antony. That money could have been spent a hell of a lot better. £150m blown which is now worth £50m at best 2 years on. And that's ignoring around £500k a week in wages.

Transfers like those two have caught up with us, you can't keep wasting £100m+, not improving the first XI and get away with it.
 
Overly concerned to start the season. Not surprised as we see this kind of nonsense (not being able to sell our players, missing out on targets) every season but it's disappointing given the positive direction
the club is heading off the field at least. Just need to get through August, hopefully add some more players before the window shuts and move the dead wood out. I still see some of last years problems
costing us. (Onana, shit defense, shit midfield, lack of goals)
 
Oh Lord. So what are our CB options then for the game? Licha and Evans?
 
Another day with no new midfielders. This season will be worse than last season if we can't sign midfielders that can help the team on day one.
 
I mean…what else can you say. Injuries are continuing to absolutely kill us. Not sure there will any more incomings as I’ve said elsewhere, and bloody worries about the start of the season now.
Not that I’m blaming Ineos for it, this is down to 10 years of mismanagement.
 
If you told me two months ago that with a week to go to the start of the season we still haven't addressed the midfield issue I wouldn't have believed it. Disappointing.
 
Hard to get excited about the season when Maguire and Lindelof injuries are still a big thing to this team.
 
No, the squad is in a worse place currently.

Defence - lost Varane and Kambwala. Added Yoro who is out for 3 months, so until Yoro is back, the defence has got considerably worse.

Midfield - lost Donny and seemingly Amrabat. Added no one, so the midfield is in a slightly worse place.

Forwards - lost Greenwood and Martial. Added Zirkzee. Will be better once Rasmus returns from injury. Until then, no real improvement.
 
this squad is worse off than how we ended last season....it's going to be a very long season
 
Mount being back is like a new signing.
Amad being better is like a new signing.
Mainoo starting is like a new signing.
Amass rising up is like a new signing.
Zirkzee signing is like a new signing.

That's like five new signings alone for the Community Shield.
 
christinaa said:
As usual we are not ready
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you are right. right now we're not ready. we started the window by moving quickly and then we're back to square one. the FFP is talked about so much but Chelsea do business like they have no FFP rules. While we are always stalling. I hope we get De Ligt, Massroui, Amrabat and one more midfielder.. hopefully Ugarte or Fofana.. I'm not so keen on Berge.. he could just be a backup. Amass needs to start at LB if Shaw isn't ready and if he is, he's definitely the understudy. We do not need to buy a LB
 
48 hours said:
No, the squad is in a worse place currently.

Defence - lost Varane and Kambwala. Added Yoro who is out for 3 months, so until Yoro is back, the defence has got considerably worse.

Midfield - lost Donny and seemingly Amrabat. Added no one, so the midfield is in a slightly worse place.

Forwards - lost Greenwood and Martial. Added Zirkzee. Will be better once Rasmus returns from injury. Until then, no real improvement.
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This is spot on. Further - a lot of our players (Maguire, Eriksen, Lindelof, Casimero) is a year older and even slower. Our most important players has all had long tournaments with their national teams during the summer and isn't back and I guess more injury prone this autumn. A competent and proven midfielder who can run and has the legs to perform with Mainoo feels extremely important. Cross my fingers!
 
You can see there’s a change in strategy above which is exactly why it’s so stark that 10 years of mismanagement has killed us. Crap players who won’t leave because nobody will pay their ridiculous wages. Injuries are a serious issue though. Yet again just endless players not able to play on Saturday…why? We’d be so much better if Shaw and Martinez stayed fit but they are so unreliable. Will be a very long season I feel.
 
We are looking ready for a top 10 fight. Should be able to squeeze in. Maybe another cup run if we are lucky
 
We have broken 'Arry too. His biggest +ve was that he could remain fit.

I bet Bruno too breaks down a few times next season.
 
Castia said:
So after last season we still don’t have a LB?
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So no Shaw, Malacia, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof or amrabat. Dalot our only fit full back so he can't go to left back... So in comes the 17 year old against City? Seems like a bad idea...
 
The Brown Bull said:
If you told me two months ago that with a week to go to the start of the season we still haven't addressed the midfield issue I wouldn't have believed it. Disappointing.
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Yup, no midfield additions and 1 CB make for a disappointing start.
 
It's a worry, these constant injuries etc. You have to ask questions, it cannot just be bad luck. For how long? I feel he no longer inspires some members of this squad. It seems to be so easy to rule yourself out of games. When did all these players get injured? On the training ground this week? Maguire? Shaw???

It's beyond a joke. If we get any injuries on Sunday, who will play against Fulham?

Can anyone convince me that we have a squad of players who are desperate to play for Manchester United. It seems far too easy to say '... sorry, I am not available..'
 
There is barely such thing as an injury 'doubt' for us.

Seems like 90% of the time where it's reported there is a 'doubt' we don't see them for weeks.

With Shaw it's just negligent that we haven't bought another left back.
 
Frank Grimes said:
Considering it's Ineos' first summer window I am very disappointed with the lack of change. Relying on the same bluffers all over again, a bit depressing to be honest.
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To be fair to them, they have been severely hamstrung by cashflow problems and unsellable players on ludicrous wages, all of which is the fault of mismanagement by Woodward/Arnold/Murtough and the Glazers.
 
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