Actually Roberts should have moved to a club like Liverpool.. A midtable team where he'll have an easier chance to break into the 1st team
Patrick Roberts
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Looks like its him on that tweet, his ears look the same on his YouTube video. Would be a shame if he moved to City but money talks. If he achieves his potential, they'd have a world class player on there hands.
If Fulham are really demanding 15 million then that's quite a gamble on youth unless we're talking about Cristiano Ronaldo esque talents. Very few teenagers are worth that amount of money. The last few times we've tried this, it didn't work out, Zaha, Powell.
The benefit to buying players young is that they're usually less expensive but at this price level you may as well get a player in his prime. 15 million for this guy or 22 for Pedro? Even without being a massive Pedro fan I think it's an easy choice.
Us and City have reversed roles.
The bitterness towards City on here is painful to read.
Think it's more jealousy, the fact City can throw £15m at an unproven talent and if it doesn't work out then they'll just sell him to Sunderland or a midtable team, at a loss.
I think cause of we've failed to improve our first team each summer over the past 5 years, has hurt us and we can ill afford to spend such money on a youngster. If this was 2 years down the line, I think it'd be a different story, as the first team will only need one or two signings a summer to improve it, freeing up more money on future talent.
I don't think that makes sense really. It's not like City's first-team doesn't need improving. It's ageing and mediocre in many positions and carried by a few star names (Agüero primarily). We're probably stronger right now if you compare the match-day squad.
My guess if he goes to City he wont get much gametime and will end up being loaned out to a mid-table club next January. This guy for £15m or Pedro for £22m and its a no brainer id take Pedro any day.
Though if you were looking long term and with particular reference to the home grown player quotas perhaps Roberts would look like a better option
Of course he fecking won't get game time at City, he barely got in the Fulham team in the Championship. Not sure he'd even get a PL loan.
Wasn't referring to only about Patrick roberts alone but we've gone bit slack in terms of youth acquisitions in recent years especially of English talents.
And as for Roberts he'll probably be sold for 8 to 10 million and we've been tracking him for a while now and even tried to sign him before. Yeah, it's a risk but i'd like us to take few calculated risks like this as well. Like we used too. Not specifically him but players like that.
Bit shades of Shaw vs Filipe Luis from last summer ? Though Roberts isn't as guaranteed as Shaw was and Pedro seems even less of a certainty than Luis did. (Irrespective of how it turned out.)
Various figures but most seem to suggest an initial £2 - £5 million rising to £8 - £11 million. He'll be on a big wage (for a kid) but that's a good deal for City.
Ugh, gutted. Still, you can't have 'em all.
City are willing to pay to get the kids at the moment, right down to the youngest age groups. If we're not going to match them, there's still one fool-proof way to keep yourself attractive to the very best youngsters, and that's to keep the path to the first team open. Van Gaal's made tentative steps in that direction and hopefully there's more to follow this season. City, you can be fairly confident, won't be going there any time soon.
City are willing to pay to get the kids at the moment, right down to the youngest age groups. If we're not going to match them, there's still one fool-proof way to keep yourself attractive to the very best youngsters, and that's to keep the path to the first team open. Van Gaal's made tentative steps in that direction and hopefully there's more to follow this season. City, you can be fairly confident, won't be going there any time soon.
Have to say it does annoy me that City and Chelsea are pushing ahead of us in this regard.
I don't care. It's an opinion which seems to put you increasingly in the minority in this forum, incredibly, but I prefer success which isn't solely bought with feckloads of money.
We are creating plenty of genuine top-class talents. The difficulty of getting them into the first team in a climate where every team is willing to just buy instant success is the limiting factor, not how many we're producing.
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Can this Roberts kid do this? If not then GTFO!
Good buy for City. I want to say its a bad career move for the kid but at his age, he wasn't going to get regular games anywhere so might as well use the top facilities and the coaching while earning loads more.
Not bothered. He'll probably flop knowing City and their youth record.
There was that hilariously dramatic article by Andy Mitten the other day, in which he slated our youth set up, saying how far behind city we were falling. Then yesterday I watched the second half of the United game and we had seven academy graduates on the field: Wilson, Pereira, Januzaj, NcNair, Evans, Blackett and Lingard. None of whom looked out of their depth.
There was that hilariously dramatic article by Andy Mitten the other day, in which he slated our youth set up, saying how far behind city we were falling. Then yesterday I watched the second half of the United game and we had seven academy graduates on the field: Wilson, Pereira, Januzaj, NcNair, Evans, Blackett and Lingard. None of whom looked out of their depth.
But but but city have built a really expensive stadium and academy for the kids, and are signing some of the best u14s in the world
I really really hope these three make it at United. So much potential, combined they could save us £100m+ in transfer fees.
Wilson, Pereira, Januzaj, TFM, Gomes, these are top top class talents 4/5 will make it not to mention Tuanzebes and Gribbins crop.
We have great youth coming through academy ranks, just because we don't buy every Bebe doesn't make us struggling in this department. Anyway we should be monitoring the market in case there is new Messi.
Any chance of knowing how many scouts work for us?
We have great youth coming through academy ranks, just because we don't buy every Bebe doesn't make us struggling in this department. Anyway we should be monitoring the market in case there is new Messi.
Any chance of knowing how many scouts work for us?
Has he gone to City then? Balls.
I wont be happy if he moved to city. Especially because our RW spot could easily involve a player who can one day make that spot his own.
Im not giving up until i see him with a city shirt. More than united I would be more shocked by van gaal himself not wanting to sign him.
Im not giving up until i see him with a city shirt. More than united I would be more shocked by van gaal himself not wanting to sign him.
Good move for City. We should have been all over him, great talent.
Officially a done deal.
We could do it without any problem.
A sign of the times
Maybe we could. But won't cause Woody still wants to get Bale.
Or maybe we're inclined to think twice before we do another Zaha.
We have a very broad and scientific scouting system as every top club does.
Regarding Roberts, with the lack of homegrown players in their squad he might as well feature on the bench occasionally and getting minutes here and there in cup games which isn't that bad of a player of his age.People might have forgot but he's only 18.I think he'll come good even if it might not for City.I also believe City has some long-term plan to fill up the amount of homegrown players required and Roberts might as well be one of the core in their plan.
Think City will win the U21s league this season with the amount of talents (more than half are bought though) in their disposal.Probably another effort to prove how "good" their academy is to those who don't have a really good clue about it.Killing many birds in one stone with this signing.
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So is Mitten now officially the latest in the ever-increasing line of United-related people who we for no apparent reason have decided are fools? I can't keep up anymore.
Nobody's saying the potential negative effects on our academy from City's aggressive, new recruitment policy will be immediate. It won't affect us today and it won't affect us tomorrow. But a few years from now, don't be too surprised if the next Evans, Wilson, Lingard or Blackett struts his stuff in sky blue.
It's about priorities. I doubt we've taken our eye off the ball with regards to the most promising young English talent, but right now we need to get our squad ready for a title push and the CL. Let's not forget that it was only a year ago that we had no CL football, had to fight hard to secure 4th place last year and still aren't actually in the CL proper. Our priority right now is improving the first team squad. Once we're in a comfortable position and aren't required to spend north of £100m on 5-6 players each summer we will probably start looking to invest in the unpolished English diamonds coming through the ranks.
The key to bringing through youth for the big clubs is being able to do it from a position of strength. We're not in that position yet.
Yup, absolutely.
Agreed but it is a shame though. Roberts is absolutely the type of player I could see us being in for during Fergie's days and if Sterling had come from any other club I'd like to have thought we'd be in for him too so that was just unfortunate.
If Fergie was manager we would probably have got Roberts but not bought Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger.
With Sterling I'd view him like Shaw. A promising English prospect who is already at a good stage of his development and ready for the first team so there's no doubt in my mind that we would have been bidding for him this summer if Liverpool weren't the selling club. We're prioritising established talent ahead of promise but we're not completely negligent.
I agree. The arrogance on this place is astounding at times.
Part of the appeal of United to me has always been doing things the "right" way, developing youngsters, always being in for the best British prospects.
Lately we have just become another City or Chelsea who are happy to just throw money at a problem and hope it goes away.
People are overreacting a bit, this kid maybe good but at the moment he has barely got even Championship football behind him. It's a poor move for him imo and I think moving to Arsenal, Chelsea or us would have been just as bad. I think at this age you need more stability which he will never have at these clubs.
Done deal
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