I have no doubt that its the aim but sometimes it is not possible. If all his targets dont work out he will not sign someone for the sake of it.
Now for the holy grail: Playmaker
- Thread starter Baby Faced Assassin
- Start date
I have no doubt that its the aim but sometimes it is not possible. If all his targets dont work out he will not sign someone for the sake of it.
That's a different thing, but people here are saying that we will not sign anyone now since we've signed 3 players.
Playo de Makero
So what do you base your bs on?
Nani leaving for Italy when he's just told you he's staying, Sneijder's wages being more of a problem than Modric's ridiculous transfer fee when our wage bill will be coming down a fair bit this summer.
I disgaree. Our defence would have had superior protection.
Nani I expect to leave as I don't believe saf trusts him. He is a luxury but not good enough to have the team built around him.
Assuming five year contract for both modric and sneijder.
40m Cap ex on Modric is probably similar to sneijder will cost but modric will have a value at the end of a five year contract.
200k a week op ex over 5 years for sneijder against perhaps 150k (max) for modric means sneijder will cost around 13m more over the term of the contract. Also, and perhaps more significantly it establishes a precedent.
And rodwell
rodwell, Nasri and Modric and we are done
It will happen
It will happen
Two out of the three will also do. Or even some other rabbit(s) out of the hat that fergie may pull out.
I only dread going on without strengthening in central mid .
I still maintain that points totals are not that important. It was a tough league this season and we won it by, what, 8 points in the end I think. Position is everything.
I would be disappointed if we bought only one top quality CM.
We need two! Desperately!
We need two! Desperately!
doesn't matter if we don't sign anyone....we have enough to compete and win the prem again.
no matter who and how much we buy, we won't touch barca. I'll be fine if fergie doesn't add to midfield.
no matter who and how much we buy, we won't touch barca. I'll be fine if fergie doesn't add to midfield.
You're not letting that one go are you?! Slightly less sure though now it seems, no longer stating as fact that he is leaving.
I wonder how you arrived at that conclusion?
It's certainly an interesting concept to build a team around a winger.
friendlytramp;10010394[B said:
You're not very smart are you ?
It wouldn't surprised me to see United buy a couple of midfielders. I can't unerstand how anyone thinks that Fergie doesn't notice the glaring deficiency in the centre of the team now that Scholes/Gibson/Hargreaves are out and Giggs surely is going to be able to contribute less this season
I can't imagine us getting two. But I am optimistic we will get one.
I'm sure he does see it. What I can't understand is that all the players who wold realistically sort it were available for much, much less money a couple of years ago. Everyone knew Sneijder was still class when Madrid got shot of him, everyone knew from Croatia games that Modric was going to be excellent. Nasri maybe less so.
Because a couple of years ago Fergie didn't think we would need one.
4 years ago we had a still in form Carrick, a very promising Fletcher, a non crocked Hargreaves, a not too old Scholes, and a very promising Anderson.
I don't think he thought we needed a midfielder up until now. I just hope he does finally think we need one now.
Hadn't thought about it like that. I suppose Anderson's slightly slower development than he would've hoped for as cina says certainly is a factor in why now is the critical juncture.
Anderson has really been underwhelming to say the least. But I still have hope for him.
Yeah but that was four years ago. And even then we were very reliant on Scholes - Anderson was eighteen.
Anderson and Hargreaves we bought for quite big fees, Anderson was a decent punt, Hargreaves a poor buy as many of us said at the time.
But there have been really excellent midfielders doing the rounds in that time, for reasonable fees. we're now in a position of probably needing to get one of those guys for big money. I agree with you that Fergie doesn't seem to have seen the need, and it is true we kept winning, though largely despite the midfield I reckon.
Well yeah we were winning because we had Europes best defense (still do) and one of Europes best attacks (still do, but lessened a bit without Ronaldo obviously). But the midfield got weaker and weaker as the years went buy from Summer 07 and it seems Fergie just wasn't willing to give up on it.
But apart from Anderson there isn't much potential for the players to actually get any better and I'm sure he knows that there's just no point in trying to develop it without adding more additions.
What I was really getting at was that he didn't go for Sneijder or whomever purely because he didn't want/need them at the time, he's a stubborn man. If he's changed his mind now he won't give a shit that he'll probably have to pay double the price now.
Feeling a bit pessimistic about us signing a mid.
its just pure madness if we don't....
Who knows, maybe he has genuine trust/belief in any of Morrisson, Pogba and Tunnifclife and doesn't want to bring in a big name to stunt their development (and Anderson's too, really).
I think this is quite possibly the case.
They are at least 4-5 yrs away from seriously challenging for a first team place. By that time Giggs would have retired, Park would be 34 and Carrick 33. If they would be good enough then they'll win a first team place.
If SAF doesn't buy a new midfielder it would be because he either believes that this current midfield is good enough or he hasn't found the right talent for it. Another option would be that he had run out of cash (50m are a dent on someone's transfer kitty even for someone like Manchester United). I won't be surprised if we revert to a 4-2-3-1 system which would see Anderson-Carrick-Fletcher-Park for the center midfield roles with Young/Rooney contending the advanced midfield/link striker role.
He has already loaned out Tunnicliffe. All signs point to us getting in at least one midfielder by the time the window closes.
All signs point to us missing out on every possible option. Those we were linked to are all very unlikely to end up at United.
He might sign someone out of nowhere but right now the signs point to us not getting in a midfielder.
I don't agree at all. The window is still very young.
Why?
Our strongest link to a midfielder so far has been Samir Nasri. Considering that this saga is still ongoing, I think it's too early to make such a comment. Nasri is also getting back from holiday this weekend, so things will surely start to happen with that one soon enough.
Pretty sure we'll end up with Schneider.
We want him. He wants to join us. I think inter WILL sell at the right price and I don't think the price will be a major issue for us.
Agents may get in the way on the other hand...
We want him. He wants to join us. I think inter WILL sell at the right price and I don't think the price will be a major issue for us.
Agents may get in the way on the other hand...
We definitely wont
We are almost certainly going to sign a midfielder with Scholes retiring and Gibson likely to leave. Even Oshea who could be an emergency option might be leaving.
Giggs at 38 wont be in the plans(he might get games, but I dont think there is any chance we will go into the season with him being regarded as anything more than a backup/sub player. Anything more will be a bonus)
we play 4-3-3 in a significant number of games as well.
At the moment, we have Carrick, Fletch and Anderson as the only established central midfielders. Jones, Giggs and Cleverley might fit in to a 3 man midfield but a long term injury to a first choice and we will be in trouble.
Might not be a big name, high profile signing.. but we need a central midfielder in the squad.
I'd be very surprised if we didnt sign anyone
Giggs at 38 wont be in the plans(he might get games, but I dont think there is any chance we will go into the season with him being regarded as anything more than a backup/sub player. Anything more will be a bonus)
we play 4-3-3 in a significant number of games as well.
At the moment, we have Carrick, Fletch and Anderson as the only established central midfielders. Jones, Giggs and Cleverley might fit in to a 3 man midfield but a long term injury to a first choice and we will be in trouble.
Might not be a big name, high profile signing.. but we need a central midfielder in the squad.
I'd be very surprised if we didnt sign anyone
Manchester United snatch early lead over rivals City in race to spend
Manchester is seeing most of the transfer action as Ferguson shows who's boss, writes Tim Rich
Sunday, 3 July 2011
*
The moment Manchester City qualified for the Champions League was the moment the Tottenham manager, Harry Redknapp, knew he could no longer compete. "I know some people in the right positions at Manchester City and they have players signed already that will blow your brains out," he remarked. That was two months ago.
Gaël Clichy is a fine if slightly error-prone left back but he is not the kind of signing that would make Redknapp's chairman, Daniel Levy, reach for a revolver and a bottle of whisky. But there is something remarkable about Clichy's transfer from Arsenal. At £7m he will be the cheapest footballer to sign for City since the oil money from Abu Dhabi started flowing in. Meanwhile, five miles away, Manchester United have embarked on what, in real terms, is their most expansive summer in the transfer market for a decade.
Ten years ago, the requirements at Old Trafford were roughly what they are now. The Premier League had been won for a third successive time but European dominance remained out of reach for a team that, in Roy Keane's words, obsessed about Bentleys and Rolex watches rather than winning.
Juan Sebastian Veron and Ruud van Nistelrooy were bought for £47m to spearhead a side that seemed designed for the European Cup final in Glasgow in what was due to be Sir Alex Ferguson's farewell season. Again they failed, beaten in the semi-final by Bayer Leverkusen. It would be five years before they came as close.
In the sombre afterglow of the rout at Wembley in this year's Champions' League final, Ferguson declared himself "ready to meet the challenge of Barcelona", the team but for whom United might have equalled Liverpool's English record of five European Cups. The arrival of Wesley Sneijder, the focal point of the Internazionale side that did beat Barcelona, in the 2010 semi-finals, would be a statement of that intent, as are the unsubstantiated reports that United are prepared to pay the kind of wages that eased Yaya Touré's journey from Barcelona to City. However, the Dutchman has been talking about the city of Milan in the kind of language that might have been scripted by the Italian tourist board. Arsenal's Samir Nasri appears far more approachable.
So far Ferguson has spent £50m in continuing what he has been doing for the past two years – securing the future. The comparisons between Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby will go on but the Manchester United that Ferguson leaves behind should be in far better shape than the squabbling, ageing team that Busby bequeathed Wilf McGuinness.
As United report for pre-season training at Carrington this week, it is possible to see the team Ferguson's successor will inherit. David De Gea in goal, the Da Silva twins at full-back, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in central defence. A midfield of Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, maybe Nasri, maybe Sneijder; Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez in attack. It may not be Barcelona but it will be balanced, aggressive and above all, young. Not one of these players, in defiance of United and Ferguson's great traditions, is home grown.
Even before the 2010-11 season ended, Ferguson had announced what was to prove the summer signing of the year. Like Hernandez, De Gea did well at school and comes from a football family, although his dad played in the Spanish Third Division rather than in internationals for Mexico.
At 19, Jones has been described by Gary Neville as someone who might captain Manchester United and who will be a presence at Old Trafford for a decade or more. Young is one of those favourite Ferguson projects – an unfulfilled talent. The prices for each have been steep but Ferguson has long argued that the £80m dividend from Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Real Madrid had been ring-fenced, rather than sucked into the quagmire of the Glazer debt, and would one day be spent.
If Manchester City are more cautious it is because, although it may not seem like value in the checkout queues of the Asda that stands opposite Eastlands, the £130m Roberto Mancini spent last summer was mostly invested very well. With the FA Cup and a Champions' League place secured, City are marginally ahead of schedule. There is not the same need to make statements of intent that the arrival of Robinho and the £100m bid for Kaka represented. The requirement now is to grow a club that when it was taken over had a turnover a third the size of Manchester United's. Now it is half as big.
Last summer they would have paid what Mark Hughes called "the Manchester City premium" for Alexis Sanchez. However, Clichy will not be the last arrival at Eastlands. No brains have been blown out but the trigger is still cocked.
Manchester transfer targets
Wesley Sneijder: Continually linked with United, he would be the ideal replacement for Paul Scholes. Chances of signing: 3/5
Samir Nasri: "We are not going to sell him to Manchester United, that's for sure," said Arsène Wenger, although a fast-expiring contract and Nasri's desire to leave suggest otherwise. 4/5 United; 3/5 City
Alessio Cerci: An Italy Under-21 winger from Fiorentina – will be cheaper and keener to come than Alexis Sanchez. 3/5 City
Stefan Savic: A formidable defender for Partizan Belgrade, he would be cheaper than Gary Cahill. 4/5 City
Neymar: With financial fair play on the horizon, City will be very cautious, post-Robinho. 2/5 City
Manchester United snatch early lead over rivals City in race to spend - Premier League, Football - The Independent
Manchester is seeing most of the transfer action as Ferguson shows who's boss, writes Tim Rich
Sunday, 3 July 2011
*
The moment Manchester City qualified for the Champions League was the moment the Tottenham manager, Harry Redknapp, knew he could no longer compete. "I know some people in the right positions at Manchester City and they have players signed already that will blow your brains out," he remarked. That was two months ago.
Gaël Clichy is a fine if slightly error-prone left back but he is not the kind of signing that would make Redknapp's chairman, Daniel Levy, reach for a revolver and a bottle of whisky. But there is something remarkable about Clichy's transfer from Arsenal. At £7m he will be the cheapest footballer to sign for City since the oil money from Abu Dhabi started flowing in. Meanwhile, five miles away, Manchester United have embarked on what, in real terms, is their most expansive summer in the transfer market for a decade.
Ten years ago, the requirements at Old Trafford were roughly what they are now. The Premier League had been won for a third successive time but European dominance remained out of reach for a team that, in Roy Keane's words, obsessed about Bentleys and Rolex watches rather than winning.
Juan Sebastian Veron and Ruud van Nistelrooy were bought for £47m to spearhead a side that seemed designed for the European Cup final in Glasgow in what was due to be Sir Alex Ferguson's farewell season. Again they failed, beaten in the semi-final by Bayer Leverkusen. It would be five years before they came as close.
In the sombre afterglow of the rout at Wembley in this year's Champions' League final, Ferguson declared himself "ready to meet the challenge of Barcelona", the team but for whom United might have equalled Liverpool's English record of five European Cups. The arrival of Wesley Sneijder, the focal point of the Internazionale side that did beat Barcelona, in the 2010 semi-finals, would be a statement of that intent, as are the unsubstantiated reports that United are prepared to pay the kind of wages that eased Yaya Touré's journey from Barcelona to City. However, the Dutchman has been talking about the city of Milan in the kind of language that might have been scripted by the Italian tourist board. Arsenal's Samir Nasri appears far more approachable.
So far Ferguson has spent £50m in continuing what he has been doing for the past two years – securing the future. The comparisons between Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby will go on but the Manchester United that Ferguson leaves behind should be in far better shape than the squabbling, ageing team that Busby bequeathed Wilf McGuinness.
As United report for pre-season training at Carrington this week, it is possible to see the team Ferguson's successor will inherit. David De Gea in goal, the Da Silva twins at full-back, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in central defence. A midfield of Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, maybe Nasri, maybe Sneijder; Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez in attack. It may not be Barcelona but it will be balanced, aggressive and above all, young. Not one of these players, in defiance of United and Ferguson's great traditions, is home grown.
Even before the 2010-11 season ended, Ferguson had announced what was to prove the summer signing of the year. Like Hernandez, De Gea did well at school and comes from a football family, although his dad played in the Spanish Third Division rather than in internationals for Mexico.
At 19, Jones has been described by Gary Neville as someone who might captain Manchester United and who will be a presence at Old Trafford for a decade or more. Young is one of those favourite Ferguson projects – an unfulfilled talent. The prices for each have been steep but Ferguson has long argued that the £80m dividend from Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Real Madrid had been ring-fenced, rather than sucked into the quagmire of the Glazer debt, and would one day be spent.
If Manchester City are more cautious it is because, although it may not seem like value in the checkout queues of the Asda that stands opposite Eastlands, the £130m Roberto Mancini spent last summer was mostly invested very well. With the FA Cup and a Champions' League place secured, City are marginally ahead of schedule. There is not the same need to make statements of intent that the arrival of Robinho and the £100m bid for Kaka represented. The requirement now is to grow a club that when it was taken over had a turnover a third the size of Manchester United's. Now it is half as big.
Last summer they would have paid what Mark Hughes called "the Manchester City premium" for Alexis Sanchez. However, Clichy will not be the last arrival at Eastlands. No brains have been blown out but the trigger is still cocked.
Manchester transfer targets
Wesley Sneijder: Continually linked with United, he would be the ideal replacement for Paul Scholes. Chances of signing: 3/5
Samir Nasri: "We are not going to sell him to Manchester United, that's for sure," said Arsène Wenger, although a fast-expiring contract and Nasri's desire to leave suggest otherwise. 4/5 United; 3/5 City
Alessio Cerci: An Italy Under-21 winger from Fiorentina – will be cheaper and keener to come than Alexis Sanchez. 3/5 City
Stefan Savic: A formidable defender for Partizan Belgrade, he would be cheaper than Gary Cahill. 4/5 City
Neymar: With financial fair play on the horizon, City will be very cautious, post-Robinho. 2/5 City
Manchester United snatch early lead over rivals City in race to spend - Premier League, Football - The Independent