Manchester United - January transfer window 2015 (twitter blacklist applies)

Can't disagree with Glaston too much if I'm being honest. The failure to sign an experienced centre-back in the summer has to be considered a pretty big oversight.
 
Can't disagree with Glaston too much if I'm being honest. The failure to sign an experienced centre-back in the summer has to be considered a pretty big oversight.

You can understand why though. Van Gaal feels that his training methods equate to less injuries than others. He said as much earlier this season, so he can surely be forgiven for assuming he would have two fit Centre Backs out of Rojo, Jones, Smalling, Evans before he had to call on Blackett, McNair or Carrick.

The fact is that Jones, Smalling and Evans have always been highly thought of at the club. He had to trust the word of Giggs and the other coaches when deciding if he should show faith in these players rather than making the three of them backups to an expensive replacement.

That's one of the reasons a managers first season is always difficult. Look at Mourinho last season, no matter what advice he is given he can only make up his own mind when he's had a season to really judge whether he can trust everyone in his squad and in what situations.

That's one of the skills Fergie had down to an absolute art form. He knew everything about his players, he knew when he could trust them to do a job and when they were better off left on the sidelines. He knew their physical limits and that if, for example, he gave Hernandez an easy first half of the season and used him sparingly, he could start to introduce him late into games after Christmas when the games were coming thick and fast and oppositions legs were fatigued before playing him more and more while he was fresh and sharp and the opposition were struggling.

It's little nuances like that that become the difference between getting 82 points and coming second or 89 points and coming first.
 
You can understand why though. Van Gaal feels that his training methods equate to less injuries than others. He said as much earlier this season, so he can surely be forgiven for assuming he would have two fit Centre Backs out of Rojo, Jones, Smalling, Evans before he had to call on Blackett, McNair or Carrick.

The fact is that Jones, Smalling and Evans have always been highly thought of at the club. He had to trust the word of Giggs and the other coaches when deciding if he should show faith in these players rather than making the three of them backups to an expensive replacement.

That's one of the reasons a managers first season is always difficult. Look at Mourinho last season, no matter what advice he is given he can only make up his own mind when he's had a season to really judge whether he can trust everyone in his squad and in what situations.

That's one of the skills Fergie had down to an absolute art form. He knew everything about his players, he knew when he could trust them to do a job and when they were better off left on the sidelines. He knew their physical limits and that if, for example, he gave Hernandez an easy first half of the season and used him sparingly, he could start to introduce him late into games after Christmas when the games were coming thick and fast and oppositions legs were fatigued before playing him more and more while he was fresh and sharp and the opposition were struggling.

It's little nuances like that that become the difference between getting 82 points and coming second or 89 points and coming first.

While I don't disagree with any of that, it does make the assumption that Van Gaal decided against signing any more defenders in the summer. I'm not sure that's actually correct. Either way, I'm sure it's something the club will be looking to address in January.
 
two CBs and a RB desired......

Rafael, Jones, Evans, Rojo, McNair are ideal back up players in a top European side

CB is the priority but we definitely need more reliable back up at RB if not a superior player to Rafael
 
Our current defenders will get fit in December, stay fit and play well throughout the whole of January, giving LvG a selection headache and leading him to believe he's turned the corner by getting them all fit and in form. Then on February the 1st they'll all get injured simultaneously in training..
 
You think we could get both Reus and Depay for about 50 million. And then 2 experienced CBs, one young CB, CM and one talented CM?

We need a RB, CB and a CM. Question is which of those we'll get in January.

Most likely. Reus' clause is rumoured to be low (have heard all kind of numbers from 25m to 35m) and Depay won't cost more than 15-20m.
 
Garay from Russia, Clyne from Saints and bring back Nani.
Move ADM to a central role, deploy Nani on the flank.
I doubt the club will go mad this transfer window, regardless of where we may be come January.
 
Our current defenders will get fit in December, stay fit and play well throughout the whole of January, giving LvG a selection headache and leading him to believe he's turned the corner by getting them all fit and in form. Then on February the 1st they'll all get injured simultaneously in training..

The worst thing is that, it is exactly what is going to happen.
 
if it takes 20 million to get a top CB who will guarantee CL qualification it is well worth it......

we'll only get stung in the Summer anyway
 
Well I was speaking more about the next couple of windows rather than just January itself. In saying that I do realize in hindsight that perhaps this is not the appropriate thread for it given the specificity of the title. :)

Fair enough. Nobody happier than me if we managed to get all those players in 2 TWs. :)
 
Some of you must be new, it's best to just ignore Glaston.
I was well aware of Glaston even before I became a member, so it's my own stupid fault. It's just difficult to understand how anyone can be so ignorant/wum so constantly.
 
I think Fabio's doing well at Cardiff so far, unfortunately that's based solely on 4-5 games that I've watched this season but I do check the ratings on him from time to time and they're mostly good.

On Rudy, to be honest I can't say for certain if he's a better midfielder or defender, the difference is barely noticeable because he's looked equally strong at both positions. That said he seems a bit more natural at rightback given his crossing ability, maybe stay there for a few seasons and transition full-time to midfield once his legs wear out with age and he acquires a greater reading of the game. Regular Buli posters might have a more informed opinion though I reckon.

That's good to hear, it was a real shame it didn't work out here, I always had envisioned us playing with twin fullbacks for the next decade.

Interesting, versatility is becoming more and more common in the current game and he could be a useful dual asset, I guess LvG would have to evaluate his level in either role to decide if he's worth it as I doubt he'd be cheap.
 
We should just pay whatever it takes to get a top class CB in january, I don't give a feck anymore! If we shore up the defence we'll make 4th, no problem.
 
It's not about the numbers of players signed, it's about their quality and the areas they play in.

United have spent around £245m - £192m net - on additions to the title winning squad. It's just not credible to believe that for such stupendous amounts of cash you couldn't have improved your CM and defence way beyond their current state. But instead the lion's share was spent on attack-orientated players such as Di Maria, Mata and Zaha - when this was the area least in need of attention - and most of the rest of the cash went on paying over the odds for some pretty average players .... with Luke Shaw being the only exception, although he too cost a pretty penny.

And if you now go ahead and sign Falcao permanently, for the ludicrous sums being mentioned, it'll just be more in the same vein, when CM and defence should be your focus.

When you look at how van Persie has performed these past 12 months you cannot say Falcao was an unnecessary buy and we haven't even bought him outright yet. As for Di Maria we lacked creativity in midfield desperately and got one of the best players in the world to solve that, no issues there. Blind and Herrera were two absolutely necessary buys as well and strengthened our midfield to the point where it's no longer the issue, actually midfield has been our strong point this season. They're not average players at all, this coming from you is very rich considering they're easily better than what Spurs have in midfield. To be fair you constantly downplaying both of them is tiresome when it's apparent that they've played very well so far, in a completely new league too.

Rojo hasn't proven himself to be a shrewd buy so far, jury's still out but we should have gone for a more proven center half at the time.

Agree with Mata, we didn't need him and he hasn't adapted well, in fact we'll probably be looking to sell him sooner rather than later - unfortunately because I had very high hopes for him.
 
if it takes 20 million to get a top CB who will guarantee CL qualification it is well worth it......

we'll only get stung in the Summer anyway

Isn't it just as likely to get stung in January?

I feel we need a few more players to complete the rebuilding, but I don't want to see us rush to buy someone in January just for the sake of buying someone.
 
Isn't it just as likely to get stung in January?

I feel we need a few more players to complete the rebuilding, but I don't want to see us rush to buy someone in January just for the sake of buying someone.

Yeah that was my point - we pay the Manchester United premium anyway

I did say a top CB - what we don't need are stop gap players or squad players
 
Yeah that was my point - we pay the Manchester United premium anyway

I did say a top CB - what we don't need are stop gap players or squad players
Then it might have to wait until the summer. Funny on Talksport this morning they couldn't understand why we hadn't gone after the legendary Phil Jagielka. When you look at how Everton are starting to play now, maybe not as daft as it sounds. Earlier in the season I would have said it was nuts.
 
Ideally a winger so that Di Maria can go back in to the midfield diamond. Strootman to replace Blind as the metronome, with the added ability to push on and be more incisive when required, and a good CB to ease the burden on the current lot at the moment. I think we won't get all of these in January, but a CB and either the winger or Strootman could be done in January.

I think either of Depay or Reus would be perfect for what we want right now in terms of the winger, Strootman and Van Gaal seem a match made in heaven, and in terms of the CB, I am genuinely struggling to name one to be honest. Everyone talks about Hummels, but his lack of pace has been repeatedly exposed at the highest levels, while Thiago isn't getting any younger either. I really think we might have to go down the unglamorous 'proven in the Prem' route for a CB...
 
I doubt that very much. Hardly going to inflate the market anymore than January already does by saying we're in for players already.

We won't be getting anyone world class obviously, but I'll be stunned if we don't get a stop gap with the injuries we have at the back.
 
If our bloody centre backs could stay fit we'd have Smalling, Evans, Jones and Rojo, with Blackett, McNair as back ups, and even Carrick who can all play as a centre back. Unfortunately, they can't stay fit, but knowing us, we'd buy a centre back in January and we'll have no injuries between then and the end of the season, leaving us with too many options.

I'm hoping 2015 can be an injury free year for our players.
 
When you look at how van Persie has performed these past 12 months you cannot say Falcao was an unnecessary buy and we haven't even bought him outright yet. As for Di Maria we lacked creativity in midfield desperately and got one of the best players in the world to solve that, no issues there. Blind and Herrera were two absolutely necessary buys as well and strengthened our midfield to the point where it's no longer the issue, actually midfield has been our strong point this season. They're not average players at all, this coming from you is very rich considering they're easily better than what Spurs have in midfield. To be fair you constantly downplaying both of them is tiresome when it's apparent that they've played very well so far, in a completely new league too.

Rojo hasn't proven himself to be a shrewd buy so far, jury's still out but we should have gone for a more proven center half at the time.

Agree with Mata, we didn't need him and he hasn't adapted well, in fact we'll probably be looking to sell him sooner rather than later - unfortunately because I had very high hopes for him
.

Mata, Zaha, Fellaini and Rojo are incomings that still have a long way to go before they can be considered as good sense. Thats over 85million pounds ..... I would much rather we had signed Hummels and Fabregas instead, with 85m their clubs would have sold and we'd still have had lots of pocket change.

The money invested in the club has been more than enough, but we are suffering from Moyes still unproven investments.
 
I think our activity in the winter window depends on two things ; our position post the Christmas period and the availability of quality players in the positions we need. If we're still failing in gathering points and are hampered by injuries we might go for a short term solution but I doubt that will happen.
 
It's not about the numbers of players signed, it's about their quality and the areas they play in.

United have spent around £245m - £192m net - on additions to the title winning squad. It's just not credible to believe that for such stupendous amounts of cash you couldn't have improved your CM and defence way beyond their current state. But instead the lion's share was spent on attack-orientated players such as Di Maria, Mata and Zaha - when this was the area least in need of attention - and most of the rest of the cash went on paying over the odds for some pretty average players .... with Luke Shaw being the only exception, although he too cost a pretty penny.

And if you now go ahead and sign Falcao permanently, for the ludicrous sums being mentioned, it'll just be more in the same vein, when CM and defence should be your focus.

Carrick - Herrera - Di Maria, with Blind to come in also, as central midfield is as good as you can ask for in the PL. It's not like we pissed it up the wall on the Paulinhos and Capoues of the world.
 
If we can just get players fit then we don't need any signings in January, we'll just end up over paying for someone who isn't up to it long term anyway.
 
To get back to winning titles we need another CM and another wide man, but what we have in those positions can get us top 4. However the CB's we have will cost us way too often no matter how fit they stay, they just aren't good enough and not buying an experienced CB with a brain in January could cost us the top 4 spot IMO.
 
Can anyone actually recall a case where the purchase of a defender changed the fortunes of a club during a season dramatically?
 
Sunday Times as us linked with Dani Alves as well as Spurs,and Arse.
 
Sunday Times as us linked with Dani Alves as well as Spurs,and Arse.

It's going mad again. Coentrao has been linked again, Nani returning, Garay has been linked again. Carvalho appeared in the papers again this week, linked to United, Chelsea and Arsenal. Several others in recent days have also been linked to United. Because LvG spent so heavily in the Summer we can all expect the rumours to go through the roof up until the January window closes. Then it starts again for the Summer window.

I'd love to see Reus join United, but I think Bayern and Real Madrid will be the main two in for him. Vidal seems to be burning bridges at Juve so is possible, Strootman is overpriced if the £100 Million quotes are true, and if not Roma will still want a small fortune. I also really like Depay, but would think he will be a Summer buy if LvG wants/likes him.

Whatever, I think LvG has shown he can spend big, he knows who he wants, and I for one trust him to get the right players. I like who he has bought so far and he has done ok so far considering the incredible bad luck he has had with injuries.
 
What would people think about Joel Ward as back-up for Rafael? Watched a preview of a Palace fan this weekend and he basically said that he is actually a right-back. Always thought he was decent player for them and if we aren't willing to spend much on the full-back cover, he might be the ideal option? Wouldn't be an exciting signing, but seems practical most of all.

I am really hoping we go for Depay and Schneiderlin in January, possibly some centre-half as well.
 
If we can just get players fit then we don't need any signings in January, we'll just end up over paying for someone who isn't up to it long term anyway.
Exactly. We only need two if our cbs to stay fit for more than one game. Can't believe the mess our defence us in. It's a joke
 
Exactly. We only need two if our cbs to stay fit for more than one game. Can't believe the mess our defence us in. It's a joke

Could be Jones, and Evans back for Arsenal, and think Smalling will be eligible again, so maybe, just maybe we are getting somewhere now, although must i've been fairly impressed with Mcnair.