It’s not slow.
Clubs generally don’t bid unless they know it’s going to be accepted. All the actual negotiations go on before a bid has even been placed. Hence the 24hr reports etc etc
Frenkie de Jong | The last muppeting lap
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Clubs generally don’t bid unless they know it’s going to be accepted. All the actual negotiations go on before a bid has even been placed. Hence the 24hr reports etc etc
Netherlands Vs Belgium tonight, KO 7:45 BST, he'll more than likely start. Hoping to get a look at Timber too.
Great, I'll be watching that tonight
Well it depends if we play a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, but I suspect he will be the deeper CM with Fred/Fernandes pushing on.
Club should have plan what kind of football wants to play and buy players who fits in that idea.Managers should only be the "drivers" of the team.
This method of give the keys to the manager is outdated.If ETH crash and burns club will stuck with his players,just like with previous managers.
You'll probably need a magnifying glass.
This could impact this deal.
Name a player who wouldn't need to be convinced to join us in our current state.
Our own fans have this over the top warped reality that United are such a disgusting prospect that literally NO PLAYER would jump at the chance to sign for us.
A lot of it is more “it looks worse than it actually is” yes we’re in a dire state but it’s not as bad as we fans make it out to be in reality
Mate, I am sure that a lot of players would jump at the chance. But would any player who falls into that category make us better? Can we name a top player, someone who will take us up a level, who wouldn't need convincing to join us right now? Chances are, anyone who falls in to that category is wanted by other clubs, who could offer more stability and UCL football. We have just come off our worst premier league season ever, with a dressing room torn apart by infighting. The reality is, if we want to add real quality to the squad, we will need to convince players to join us.
It wont really. Either way they're like 1bn in debt. They need to pay it off and it doesn't matter if they refinance it, it's still there.
one way or another they're paying it off, but it means they won't be spending more than they earn put it that way.
Yeah but its different for players already at Superclubs like FdJ. He's got everything he would have at United (pay, facilities, international exposure) but is probably going home after training to a villa with an outdoor pool and is guaranteed champions league football once the club doesn't actually go belly up. Don't know why people are being over sensitive about him "not wanting United". The fact is he has a better deal already so it's not unreasonable that he wouldn't want to move to a lesser proposition unless he absolutely has to. For these guys in their early twenties, United just aren't the superpower or force of attraction that an 80s kid like me has them internalised as.
I'm the same as you. The club has felt for a while now to be somewhere that players go when they want an easy ride and lots of cash. If he needs to be persuaded and after that he wants to join then how is that a bad thing? It would only be bad if he has zero interest in joining even after learning about the "project", and it turns out he's only signed up because he's a massive Disney fan.
Really interesting article about Pogba here and whether or not his time at United was a flop:
https://www.espn.com/sports/insider...g-paul-pogba-man-united-career-flop-not-fault
Disclosure: By season 3 I was over Pogba and wanted him gone
A lot of interesting facts about Pogba and his transfer:
* Pogba appeared in roughly 60% of PL league minutes while at United. When compared with other 100m transfers, that is actually on the high side! Other than Mbappe and Ronaldo, the other 100m transfers were a bust: Neymar at 45% of league minutes, Coutinho, Dembele, Felix, Hazard, Lukaku, all way below that!
* At Juventus, Pogba averaged 0.44 non-penalty goals plus assists per 90 min. United? Same, 0.44 per 90 min! Defensively, he was down a bit, but not much.
* United were +0.76 goal differential with Pogba on the field and +0.36 with him off the field.
Finally, of the 50 most expensive transfers of all time, just three were classic midfielders. Pogba, Arthur (was basically an accounting deal swap with Pjanic, so doesn’t count), and… wait for it… Frenkie De Jong. Generally, attackers and CBs tend to go for more money, whereas midfielders just cost less.
So, why are we again blowing our budget on another CM? Not that he’s not a good players, but look at The top clubs. They spend less on midfielders, but pay big money for attackers and CBs, sometimes FBs.
What are we doing? Is this a smart way to spend your money? And we still won’t have a DM to pair with FDJ?
The anti-McTominay
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Pay the fee. Will be a joy to watch him and a DM transform our midfield.
The club is in shambles. The team and the hierarchy are just starting a rebuild after almost a decade of mediocrity. It’s arrogant to believe players shouldn’t need to be convinced to join us. We should be trying to convince everybody.
John Woo directs our transfer dealings! 
I think a reality check is needed when peple say we shouldn't need to convince players, the way the club has been run post Fergie has been farcical, we've not sniffed a PL or CL win in a decade, Liverpool and City are miles ahead of us and last season we saw the true toxicity within this squad bleed out into the open with numerous shameful performances, you're damn right a player at a top club is going to need some convincing to buy into United at the moment.
Out of curiosity, Who else is in that 8%?
I think a reality check is needed when peple say we shouldn't need to convince players, the way the club has been run post Fergie has been farcical, we've not sniffed a PL or CL win in a decade, Liverpool and City are miles ahead of us and last season we saw the true toxicity within this squad bleed out into the open with numerous shameful performances, you're damn right a player at a top club is going to need some convincing to buy into United at the moment.Out of curiosity, Who else is in that 8%?
Midfielders are more important than goals and assists.
When you say clubs don't spend this much on midfielders....
Barca paid good money for....... De Jong!
City paid similar that we're talking about here for Rodri.
At the time Madrid paid good money for Modric, Chelsea/Kante, PSG pay Verratti a good salary.
Transfer budgets are hard to compare over time and factor in so many other aspects. Maguire cost the same as Ronaldo. I bet if PSG didn't flop in the CL and won it then Neymar would be seen as a success - same as Bale.
Woah, Valverde ranks so high, modric is to be expected.
My boy Darder would've been higher had he not been moved further forwards in the final third of the season. Boy was killing it as the best midfielder in la liga in a deeper role.
Thanks, a few unexpected names in that list!
If he comes here it would be the modern footballing equivalent of a caveman knocking out a sexy cavewoman with his club and dragging her to his cave for a "shagging" (added english slang for full effect).
One thing that will favour frenkie coming to united.. is he will be wanted and needed here. Our fans still sang the names and clapped the dross last season so he will be idolised here, especially if he does well.
He could be the face of modern united, possibly captain. The catalyst that everything runs through. He hasn’t been used properly at Barca and they look at Gavi as more important. Our fan base is very good to our players compared to other clubs so he would feel that. Not many fan bases do that as well as united.
He could be the face of modern united, possibly captain. The catalyst that everything runs through. He hasn’t been used properly at Barca and they look at Gavi as more important. Our fan base is very good to our players compared to other clubs so he would feel that. Not many fan bases do that as well as united.
He's said he prefers not to leave his dream club. I've yet to hear him say anything remotely negative regarding United. Don't get why some are so hung up about him not being keen to leave. If a deal is done he'll move and I expect to be professional at performing under ETH. Certainly more so than some of the useless primadonnas we have seen in our squad recently.
We’re no better than anyone else tbh.
Is this a joke? The CAF constantly overly criticises our own players, as do people on social media. Look at the treatment Maguire & Lingard get/got for an example.
Now I know the fans online are very different to match going fans but we’re no angels.
Of course, it's slightly different for a manager and I fully doubt that ten Hag had to be 'convinced'. This is still Manchester United we're talking about and 98% of managers would take the job. All ten Hag needed was some clarity and assurances given the previous years of chaos around the club. No way was he going to turn it down.
Our matchgoing fans also boo our players when they fancy it. All fans tend to think they are better than others but I don’t see it here.
He didn't try to do that. He just has zero positional discipline and needs someone in his ear the whole time.
That chart isn't representing those passing stats that rank him in the top 8% of succssful passes under pressure. The article doesn't state who the other 8% are.
This chart is ball carriers/dribbling. But FDJ is a very good ball carrier and very good passer in La Liga. So he's one of the best midfielders in his respective league when it comes to advancing the ball overall and accurately/efficiently.
Yeah fully agree. I'm talking about when players have had that talk and they're still dithering. Though no-one knows what conversations have taken place at this stage so it's all speculation...as usual.
This response has to be incorrect.
He's stated to be top 8% of midfielders in Europe. The chart u pulled out (from the same article tho) is listing only La Liga names
Donny and Frankie were both integral parts of the Ajax side coached by ETH that was seconds away from a Champions League final having defeated no small fish in Juve and Madrid en route to that semi. They out possessed both teams at home and had very competitive showings away. That was in 2019.
The idea of a paying $120M combined three seasons on for that pairing, knowing what they accomplished together under the same manager is honestly pretty reasonable in today's market. If anything time has shown is that Donny is the odd man out without a proper system and midfield partnership. Just trying Donny out would be far more likely to fail than bringing in FDJ.
The third player in that trio, Schone, we could probably get away with Fred in that role for this season. A player with a lot of potential in the right system.
This is an absolutely phenomenal transfer if it can happen.
Feel a bit sorry for him really, at his dream club and maybe forced out to pay debt from how awfully they have been run.
No doubt for me he is one of the best midfielders in the world and if Rice/Bellingham are £100m players then £60m for DeJong is a great deal (if he was to come with the right mindset)
But it does concern me the biggest links so far sem to be with DeJOng and Nunez (who Im not so enthused about)......we must be looking at £130-150m for those two, add in maybe Timber and we are near £200m on three players, where does that leave us in terms of signing a defensive midfielder as that isnt DeJong, or a right back or attackign wide player. We cant sign them all of course but we should learn from last season, three quality signings papaers over cracks when there are several holes.
I still dont think he comes anyway as great as he would be but a part of me wants to see more hidden gems though I know little about them such as an Enzo Fernandes for example.
I dont think we can do two big signings this summer and srot out our weaknesses, I think we can only do one, DeJOng is certainly of tha ilk, not sure Nunes is, think we should be looking elsewhere there (partly wonder if that is already it, if we fail for DeJOng then we spend the big fee on him)
No doubt for me he is one of the best midfielders in the world and if Rice/Bellingham are £100m players then £60m for DeJong is a great deal (if he was to come with the right mindset)
But it does concern me the biggest links so far sem to be with DeJOng and Nunez (who Im not so enthused about)......we must be looking at £130-150m for those two, add in maybe Timber and we are near £200m on three players, where does that leave us in terms of signing a defensive midfielder as that isnt DeJong, or a right back or attackign wide player. We cant sign them all of course but we should learn from last season, three quality signings papaers over cracks when there are several holes.
I still dont think he comes anyway as great as he would be but a part of me wants to see more hidden gems though I know little about them such as an Enzo Fernandes for example.
I dont think we can do two big signings this summer and srot out our weaknesses, I think we can only do one, DeJOng is certainly of tha ilk, not sure Nunes is, think we should be looking elsewhere there (partly wonder if that is already it, if we fail for DeJOng then we spend the big fee on him)
Agree. Fred or even Scott would take that DM role next to him. Add Sancho and Bruno in the wide roles , we really have something to build on.
Disagee, we have seen neither are intelligent or good enough for that role and if they are our only options, we are still weak. DeJong isnt a defensive midfielder, he presses but he is all about his ability with the ball, DeJong and one of McFred and we still have the same problem in my opinion of gettign completely over ran and countered irrespective of what is improved tactially by the new manager.
A quality defensive midfielder is paramount this summer, I am genuinely baffled people think we can make do with half of McFred after the last two seasons of them playing there, shocking from any fan who has watched us, its our biggest priority
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