It isn't this first time this has happened though. We've chased Griezmann, Dybala, Sancho etc. for large parts of a transfer window in the recent past, only for it to end up stalling and not getting anywhere. This isn't some isolated incident. Not getting Frenkie is annoying but what will be worse is if we've wasted all this time only for us to have no backup options.
For the record, I'm of the opinion that he has very little interest in joining us but I still wouldn't be surprised if it does end up happening. Only because Barca are desperate for him to go and we will be desperate to make it happen as it will look terrible from a PR perspective if we spent months chasing a player who we couldn't convince to join.
This is all true and, for me, more concerning than if we don't end up with the player. As it suggests that, despite the bluster and briefing, nothing much has changed about how United do business. You can go all the way back to David Moyes trying to sign Fabregas for examples of how United, post-Fergie, have been led up the garden path.
Supposedly, Woodward's exit and 'the new structure' was all supposed to change that. However, there's not much evidence of that so far. Van der Sar's continued willingness to do business with us, picking up Eriksen on a free and buying a young left back from Holland are not signs that we're savvier in the market.
As I've said before I don't blame United for trying to get De Jong. If there's a player out there who is better for you than what you got, you can see the logic in keeping it going. However, the bigger picture doesn't point to any real change in practice at the club.
This has been my problem with it from the start, we clearly don't and ETH essentially said as much. FDJ can't be shoved out the door if he decides to just take the massive amount of money he's owed regardless of how much Barca want to sell him because he has a legal contract for another 4 years. FDJ is a brilliant player but if he wasn't interested in coming, which he never seemed to be and certainly by now it should be very obvious he has no interest in joining, we should have other options. ETH doesn't seem to want to use our scout network and also doesn't appear to know any other players himself that can play FDJ's role. Leaves us screwed basically.
We can't know this for sure. However, I am slightly concerned that the club is not offering Ten Hag alternatives to De Jong. When he was appointed all the coverage from the Manchester press pack was that, part of his attraction was, Ten Hag's a head coach not a manager. So he would fit in with the new structure. So why aren't the club able to identify players of similar profile to De Jong and present those to Ten Hag as alternatives? Now, in fairness to the club, maybe they have and we just don't know cos its not in the media? However, when you see the names of Milinkovic-Savic and Tielemans dropping in the media it makes you wonder what's going on. Those players, good as they are, are not deep laying playmakers like De Jong. So, either the media doesn't know anything, or the person briefing that they're alternative targets doesn't know anything. If Ten Hag has talked to the club and said: 'What are the alternatives to De Jong?' And the response was genuinely: 'Tielemans'. You can completely understand him saying: 'That is not a midfielder who can do the things I want De Jong to do.' What is really surprising is the fact the club offered him the job months ago. Yet, despite everyone knowing how his Ajax teams played, despite being witness to his training drills, the club seemingly hasn't been able to compile a list of connecting midfielders who could be an alternative to De Jong. Its very odd.
I can't believe posters actually believe United would ever confirm that De Jong doesn't want to sign.
There's unreal delusion on show in this thread. The writing has been on the wall for a long time.
Now it's time to start asking what the plan actually is because the weakest and possibly most important part of the team is going to be neglected once again. I wouldn't have minded if we have some of our youngsters a shot but it looks like they're all being loaned out.
I agree with you. Its not looking pretty.
