I cannot believe they are even considering this - assuming press reports are true of course. Williams might be a raw prospect but he's 25 for goodness sake and has scored 33 goals in 157 appearances for Bilbao - by no means a satisfactory rate for a striker. This smacks of a panic buy - of the "get anyone who might be available to replace Lukaku" variety. Cant be true can it? If United cant land a quality midfielder then we should stick with what we have and look at the whole thing as a two to three season re-build where the promising youngsters we have play an increasing role.
Inaki Williams
- Thread starter Lash
- Start date
If we're to sign a forward in the time remaining in the window, then I hope it's Inaki Williams over the likes of Mandzukic, Llorente, Ben Yedder, Dembele..
Realistically I can't see it but price-aside, he fits the profile of what Ole has described wanting. Plus he's mainly been a RW throughout his career (until Aduriz couldn't play regularly and Inaki moved to ST). I'd love it if we sign him but too far-fetched IMO.
We aren't. He only moved to striker last season so looking at his goal tally for his whole career is pointless.
Sky sports confirmed earlier this wasn't happening a
What does willing to pay the release clause mean?
You wouldn’t go into a shop and tell the person behind the till, “See this packet of crisps? I’m willing to pay what they cost”.
You’d just pay it without announcing it.
You wouldn’t go into a shop and tell the person behind the till, “See this packet of crisps? I’m willing to pay what they cost”.
You’d just pay it without announcing it.
We arent paying 80m for a guy that's a pure speed merchant.
This is a fantasy tale
Why would we spend more money than we've received for a "world class" striker in Lukaku. Bonkers.
This is a fantasy tale
Why would we spend more money than we've received for a "world class" striker in Lukaku. Bonkers.
Ed should be made to do a shame walk if he pays this clause. Scattergun bullshit.
If true, reeks of desperation from a club that has no idea what it is doing and no real direction. So could well be true as that does sound like us.
Sky sports said it's not happening lads. Said we were interested this morning but looks like Mandzukic and that's it
I don’t want him. I’m not convinced he’s better than Rashford and Martial. Not that it’s happening anyway.
Linked with United and ended up signing 9..yes NINE year contract. 135m release clause.
Talk about the wrong mentality to succeed. Would have missed Bilbao within 20 minutes of landing.
Well with that release clause, they could give him 15 year contract doesnt matter, if he improves and reach that level, someone will pay the clause, specially with trend of current inflation.
Always felt the United link was for him to get a new contract, seems like it worked.
135m clause? That's it then. He'll be stuck there for 9 years.
Thats a pretty lenghty contract to say the least.
We also got linked with Neres and a day after he signed a new contract
Good to see we are still getting used for contract renewals.
Good to see we are still getting used for contract renewals.
Crazy length of time, didn't Saul do the same thing there?
Saul is at Atletico but yeah he signed a 9 year one in 2017.
No, Atletico.
Athletico...duh!
@Santos J thought as much, surely massively decreasing their leverage in future negotiations? Makes no sense, unless you wanted to pull a Bale.
Well damn, it is now going to cost us 135m to sign a player who wouldn't make the bench of our academy side, what are we to do?
125m is not that much if he puts his game together. He certainly has the attributes to be a lethal attacker. If he doesnt he has job security at a decent level team for the rest of his career.
But I honestly wont be surprised to see someone pay it. Hes strikes me as one of these players that everything will click for, for one season, and then he will drift off into obscurity after the move
But I honestly wont be surprised to see someone pay it. Hes strikes me as one of these players that everything will click for, for one season, and then he will drift off into obscurity after the move
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You do realise that these players want to be stuck there, they love their club. There are a few if them have signed contracts to keep themselves there. They are Basque and it means something to them.
Is he a Basque?
Yes he was born there in Bilbao. His parents are immigrants from Ghana.
Should have guessed from his first name. Basque as they come
Isn't a 9 year contract bad for the player? At least if they sign a four or five year contract they are in a strong position to negotiate a higher salary after a couple of years.
I would assume the sweet spot for contract length would be long enough for financial security but short enough to have negotiating power
I would assume the sweet spot for contract length would be long enough for financial security but short enough to have negotiating power
Also, I would swap living in Manchester for living in Bilbao in a heartbeat, it's a fantastic city.
Or, you know, the kind of admirable mentality that's in short supply in modern football. Loyalty.
But yeah, let's crap on his mentality because he didn't want to join united.
Bilbao is a weird club.
When did this happen?
We got linked with him right at the end of the window, but I think the new contract at Bilbao was already done and dusted anyway. They announced it yesterday, but contracts can take ages to be done, all the legal side etc. He will have agreed it ages ago. It was just papers linking us with anyone at the end to make last day more interesting. Inaki did not turn us down and we did not seriously go after him. Just paper talk.
Exactly. It was just paper talk.
Still brilliant to see one around with homegrown ethos in the globalisation age of football.
Bilbao were only a point away from making europa league last season so in pure football sense limited difference to Man. United at this moment in time.
he can renegotiate his salary
What? Says who? Who says we were even interested ?
He can end up being an 80m player and will not get a move to a bigger club. He has put himself in a bad contract. It's not like with Saul who did it with a team that makes strides to surpass the big 2.
It's the same as Zaha last year. He got excited by a raise in salary and forgot that his greed might stand in the way of his ambitions. Now no one would dare pay what Palace want.
It's the same as Zaha last year. He got excited by a raise in salary and forgot that his greed might stand in the way of his ambitions. Now no one would dare pay what Palace want.