What are those players going to do with Rashford and Bruno, who are defaulting to direct play?
What do we still need? Aka The never ending story
- Thread starter Devil may care
- Start date
Rashford and Bruno are only defaulting to direct play because the guys behind them are also defaulting to direct play. I don't really mind if a player in the final third looks for the killer pass after the build up phase from the back has been navigated with patience and efficiency. Because you want your final third players to make the difference further forward. So I'm personally hoping we see some stability in the deeper areas of the pitch as far as controlling the game is concerned. And that can only happen if we first keep the ball better starting at the back.
Rashford has proven rather unable to impact games when faced with a settled defensive unit in front of him, in close proximity to the opposition goal. I am sceptical he can be effective in such a system.
dont think that’ll be good enough. No matter how how high up the pitch our offence is they aren’t good enough. Rashford, Antony, Ganarcho, Hojlund, Bruno these lot can’t give you the attacking output needed to get top four, there aren’t enough goals in them.
Attacking reinforcements are a must, we can’t go on with our current crop, our attack is reminiscent of the LvG days.
Yet again showing how poor our recruitment has been with this thread as its another summer where we need double figures out and close in.
We have players we will lose for next to nothing Amrabat from his loan, Eriksen, Evans from his short term contract. We should/will probably be selling Antony, considering his age and fall from form Csemeiro also.....these are all Ten Hag signings....nearly half of them in fact.
Varaes contract is ending and probably off too.....yet this isnt even half the players should be off just the very likely ones.
We need an attacking RB, a right sided centre back, a defensive midfielder and a right winger as a minimum for the first eleven. WIthout even going into several other plaeyrs I would sell, as its a lot I think a young left back, another cb, a second cm, another wnger and a back up striker are also needed.
One player I would like us to sign in our own league is Eze, not happening as we wont sell Fernandes and we have Mount but I think he fits in to a consistently successful side in that positio far better than both
We have players we will lose for next to nothing Amrabat from his loan, Eriksen, Evans from his short term contract. We should/will probably be selling Antony, considering his age and fall from form Csemeiro also.....these are all Ten Hag signings....nearly half of them in fact.
Varaes contract is ending and probably off too.....yet this isnt even half the players should be off just the very likely ones.
We need an attacking RB, a right sided centre back, a defensive midfielder and a right winger as a minimum for the first eleven. WIthout even going into several other plaeyrs I would sell, as its a lot I think a young left back, another cb, a second cm, another wnger and a back up striker are also needed.
One player I would like us to sign in our own league is Eze, not happening as we wont sell Fernandes and we have Mount but I think he fits in to a consistently successful side in that positio far better than both
Eze is brilliant but palace will want 100m.
I would add a backup striker to your list.
They are certainly good enough to get us top 4 but eventually it needs more investment, personally just seems to me that spending big money on the attack before fixing the major issues will only lead to those players failing once again.
Those guys losing confidence, fans losing patience and then having to invest heavily again. We still probably need a back up striker anyway come summer so surely there will be an addition in the forward line.
Honestly I think I would consider removing Bruno from the starting 11 next season anyway.
We are so deep with our back 4 that the team constantly gets countered, our midfield does not possess enough high energy and creativity and they are knackered by having to cover so much ground especially at old Trafford, one of the biggest pitches in the PL.
We have a Goalkeeper who’s improving but he’s never going to be a great shot stopper he’s there purely to push the team and defence higher up the pitch. Varane is getting a raw deal this season and personally I’d renew his contract for one year and then get rid of Maguire and Lindelof. I’d keep Evans as his experience is invaluable and then we should go and get two Centre Backs, but this is where I would do things differently. If we sell Maguire for £25m and Lindelof for £15m we should sign Jarod Branthwaite at £55m maximum, his wages will be £75k per week and he can come in and develop. The club should then go and get Todibo on a 1 year loan with an obligation to buy for £7m loan fee and £38m additional next summer. We still need a left back and this is where the club must be ruthless and sell Malacia and , B Williams and Alvaro Fernandes for combined £20m and buy Miguel Gutierrez for £25/30m. If we started next season with ; Varane, Martinez, Todibo, J Branthwaite, J Evans, W Kambwala, AWB, D Dalot, L Shaw, M Gutierrez as defensive options this would be a huge upgrade. If we could do that for a net transfer of £30-35m that’s exactly how a smart club would operate in the transfer window, we might even have funds to swap AWB for Frimpong for £20m on top or keep both, I’m not adverse to AWB being given an extension of 3 years to his contract. Defending has changed dramatically in the last decade and elite clubs don’t buy a sweeper Keeper to have the back four only 10 yards in front of him!
If we ‘break even’ on Amad and Pellistri but they’ve run down a lot of FFP it will be pretty good FFP profit for this window, 75-80% of whatever we receive.
Sancho will prob offset his remaining FFP balance (assuming it was a 5 year amort), maybe a bit extra.
Greenwood pure profit.
This wing departures may add 70-80m FFP. If Casemiro, Harry OR Lindelof, AWB, and a couple young players depart it’s going to be +120m FFP.
From my understanding, that’s a big sum when you consider new signings’ transfer fees are amortized over contract length. On top of that, with Martial, Eriksen, and Varane leaving (or Varane taking pay cut) it’s 5-6 of our 10 biggest earners coming off the books, though we may have to subsidize Sancho’s wages elsewhere.
FFP gurus, please help. Is this the right way to think about it? And either way, what’s your best guess on what our topline transfer fee expenses will be this summer?
Sancho will prob offset his remaining FFP balance (assuming it was a 5 year amort), maybe a bit extra.
Greenwood pure profit.
This wing departures may add 70-80m FFP. If Casemiro, Harry OR Lindelof, AWB, and a couple young players depart it’s going to be +120m FFP.
From my understanding, that’s a big sum when you consider new signings’ transfer fees are amortized over contract length. On top of that, with Martial, Eriksen, and Varane leaving (or Varane taking pay cut) it’s 5-6 of our 10 biggest earners coming off the books, though we may have to subsidize Sancho’s wages elsewhere.
FFP gurus, please help. Is this the right way to think about it? And either way, what’s your best guess on what our topline transfer fee expenses will be this summer?
Currently United are in a very good position to buy players based on two key factors;
1. Sir Jim’s investment of $300m or £257m will offset FFP loses allowed of £115m over a 3 year period
2. Look at the Deloitte’s list supplied our wage bill is now 4th on PL at a very favourable 51% of revenue.
https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pag.../articles/deloitte-football-money-league.html
Scroll down and click on man united.
With reference to Amad first, Club paid €25m as add ons have not been activated this was amortised over 5 years so £4.25m per year plus wages of £1.5m per year. So Amad currently costs the club £5.75m per year. Facundo pellistri was signed for £9m on wages of £1m per year so his cost is currently £2.8m per year combined amortised transfer fee and Wages. Sancho was £73m over 5 years so £14.25m per year and rumours wages of £15m per year or £300k per week. He costs £29-30m every year on wages and amortised transfer fees. Greenwood is pure profit and his wages of £75k per week or £4m per year would be saved.
Summary of the club sold Sancho for £30m and got the new club to agree new wages with 2 years left on his contract this deal breaks even. The benefit would be £15m wages are saved.
If United sell Amad for £20m, this would be offset from the 4 years we would have already paid of £17m so this would represent a profit of £15.75m profit as the club still has one year of amortised transfer fee to pay. The squad wages would be reduced by £1.5m per year after he left.
If United sold Pellistri for £15m, this is similar as the club has one instalment left to pay of £1.8m for his transfer so a profit of £13.2m would be made and £1m wages would be saved a year.
Finally Mason Greenwood is 100% pure profit so if we sold him for £30m that would represent FFP profit of £30m plus £29m profit from Pellistri and Amad.
If our budget was only £120m, selling these 4 players would genuinely increase the budget to nearer £250-300m with wages and agent fees.
The club can spend big this summer, because they’ve circumnavigated FSP/FFP by being off loading youth players last summer and Sir Jim cash injection, plus they have grown revenue whilst at the same time reducing players wages.
The real issue is the club does not have cash unless Sir Jim allows some of his £257m to be allocated for transfers. Remember if we agree £350m in transfers this summer and receive £110m that’s a net position of £240m or £48m this summer and then 4 more years of £48m.
The new Team put in place to handle transfers will be tasked with signing new players, getting rid of high earners so the wage structure is kept to a similar level as this year and generate as much cash as they can in the next 2 years.
Remember United owe at least £380m in amortised transfer fees and sir Jim will want this under control.
Incredibly helpful, thank you. Super interesting point about the juxtaposition between the our potential FFP status the summer (good) versus cash balance (bad).
Still I disagree with your take on wages. I suspect they will want to structurally reduce wages despite your point that the current wage structure isn’t as bad as a few other clubs.
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Structurally reducing the wage bill is what they’ve been doing, they are happy to run at 48-53% of Gross revenue, you still need to pay big wages for truly elite players, the real issue is players not performing to the salary being paid.
Correcting this will be Dan Ashworth and Omar Berreda task of stopping players like Martial, Sancho, Being paid £250-350k per week for very little impact to the squads ability to win football matches. They will also concerned about Aging players like Casemiro, Maguire and Varane being paid £200-350k per week, if a truly elite player was needed like Victor Osimhen and the budget allowed the transfer, the club would have no problem paying him £250k per week basic salary with £100k a week goal and assist bonus if he guaranteed goals, the new wage directive is to pay payers good basic salary but structure 25/30% of their salary in goal, appearance, clean sheet and assist bonus.
Thanks. I don't know enough about our current 'pay for performance' %s to know how different that is from the status quo.
Philosophically it sounds like the right approach so long as the incentives are structured in a way that doesn't lead to behaviors on the pitch that are in the player's interest but not the team's.
I pretty much agree because when I think of replacements those are the names I was thinking of myself.
I like Varane, I was just moving him on because of wages and it seems like he is going but I do think at times this season he has shown his quality and that he is far better than the others. Having his experience around players like the ones you mentioned to help them, guide them and so on could be invaluable. The man has won everything and if he wanted a pay cut and to stay on then I’d be all for that.
Its midfield where I find myself moving towards a more industrious approach, I agree that our issue seems to be the spaces between each area. Defence sits deep, but then we don’t have the legs in midfield to cover that and be on the front foot.
Does feel with the defenders you mentioned we could play a higher line more comfortably, Squeeze space and get turnovers allowing the front 3 to get at people before these teams have a chance to organise and effectively nullify anything.
I just think getting more turnovers higher up the pitch would allow our forwards more quality opportunities preventing teams from having the time to set up Eventually once we have structure then start adding more expansive players in to the mix.
Should add all of those players probably cost way north of 50 mil each. Don’t agree paying 100 mil for someone who is basically Fred. But finding people of those profiles would be what I would like to see.
I pretty much agree because when I think of replacements those are the names I was thinking of myself.
I like Varane, I was just moving him on because of wages and it seems like he is going but I do think at times this season he has shown his quality and that he is far better than the others. Having his experience around players like the ones you mentioned to help them, guide them and so on could be invaluable. The man has won everything and if he wanted a pay cut and to stay on then I’d be all for that.
Its midfield where I find myself moving towards a more industrious approach, I agree that our issue seems to be the spaces between each area. Defence sits deep, but then we don’t have the legs in midfield to cover that and be on the front foot.
Does feel with the defenders you mentioned we could play a higher line more comfortably, Squeeze space and get turnovers allowing the front 3 to get at people before these teams have a chance to organise and effectively nullify anything.
I just think getting more turnovers higher up the pitch would allow our forwards more quality opportunities preventing teams from having the time to set up Eventually once we have structure then start adding more expansive players in to the mix.
Should add all of those players probably cost way north of 50 mil each. Don’t agree paying 100 mil for someone who is basically Fred. But finding people of those profiles would be what I would like to see.
Totally agree on principle but Martinez will be fit and starting I can see the usual summer BS where we are linked with everyone but actually only sign 5/6 players not 8/9
I like Frimpong but we will keep Dalot and extend AWB as the left back is far more pressing, hopefully we’ll get the Girona Left back, Gutierrez before he gets bought and recycled by Madrid for £45-55m. Everything you say about turnovers higher up the field are 100% correct however we need a squad of 27/28 just to manage the 60+ games next year if we qualify Europa Leagie and I think we desperately need Luke shaw being challenged and the whole squad starting in the summer not knowing who starts in any positon. I definitely keep Varane if he signs a new 2 year contract on 200k per week and I think we won’t have enough money to buy Onana and Jao Neves that’s £150-160m, never going to happen!
Eriksen will go and Barkley will come in we probably get £10m for Eriksen. I don’t see the J Neves having legs, can’t see the club paying £100m when we could probably do the Following; A Rabiot - Free (250k), J Kimmich 60m(350k), J Paulinho -55m (200k) I think we will want a more experienced player in that position in late 20’s to solidify the spine of the time. We might have a left field South American young signing who is an 8/10 Thiago Almada or Alan varela or maybe someone like the new Croatian wonderkid Martin Barturina or Federico Redondo. Who can play 6, 8 or 10.
I hope next season we can build confidence and really have two players fighting for their place.
First 11
GK- A Onana
RB - D Dalot
RCB - J C Todibo *
LCB - L Martinez
LB - L Shaw
DM - J Pailinho *
CM - K Mainoo
AM - Bruno
RWS - M Olise *
CF - V Osimhen *
LWS - A Garnaucho
Alternative 11
GK- A Bayinder
RB- AWB
RCB- R Varane
LCB - J Branthwaite *
LB - M Gutierrez *
DM - R Barkley *
CM - S Mctominay
AM - M Mount
RWS - S Lacey
CF - R Hojlund
LWS - A Garnaucho
squad -T Heaton H Maguire, W Kambwala, T almada, Antony (just can’t see us getting rid of him)
I think we get £100-120m for player sales and we do a loan for Tobido with a obligation to buy and Ross Barkley in a free so spend ; J Paulinho(55m), J Branthwaite (60m), R Barkley (Free), Todibo (7m loan), M Olise(55m), M Gutierrez (25m), T Almada(23m), V Osimhen(95m)
Total £320m - £120m = £200m
if we did this, then everybody can get on the INEOS bandwagon, Osimhen is available he’s reduced to £95m, he’s rumoured to be a United fan and finally with him and Rasmus we have goals plus we can play 4-1-2-1-2 or 3412 in some games, we need goals and more mobility in midfield plus quicker defenders.
I like the formation you posted but it looks lopsided and that left side will always be an issue. Remove Neves and replace him with Martinez at LCB, buy another left back albeit with more attacking impetus than the ones we have. A proper 3-4-3 could work and having Olise as a playmaking wide attacker will balance out the creativity issues.I pretty much agree because when I think of replacements those are the names I was thinking of myself.
I like Varane, I was just moving him on because of wages and it seems like he is going but I do think at times this season he has shown his quality and that he is far better than the others. Having his experience around players like the ones you mentioned to help them, guide them and so on could be invaluable. The man has won everything and if he wanted a pay cut and to stay on then I’d be all for that.
Its midfield where I find myself moving towards a more industrious approach, I agree that our issue seems to be the spaces between each area. Defence sits deep, but then we don’t have the legs in midfield to cover that and be on the front foot.
Does feel with the defenders you mentioned we could play a higher line more comfortably, Squeeze space and get turnovers allowing the front 3 to get at people before these teams have a chance to organise and effectively nullify anything.
I just think getting more turnovers higher up the pitch would allow our forwards more quality opportunities preventing teams from having the time to set up Eventually once we have structure then start adding more expansive players in to the mix.
Should add all of those players probably cost way north of 50 mil each. Don’t agree paying 100 mil for someone who is basically Fred. But finding people of those profiles would be what I would like to see.
In attack you would have 3 forwards in and around the opponent's goal, Martinez in the libero role stepping into midfield, Mainoo controlling things behind the attackers and the wingbacks providing width from the flanks.
On signings I agree with Braithwaite, Todibo and Onana. We could do with Alvaro Fernandez as a wingback option or cover for Shaw. It's inevitable that Shaw is going to be needed to cover Martinez. Other necessary signings would be a back up DM who can play 6 and 8 so that he'd able to slot in for Onana or Mainoo. If Garnacho comes in as a starter then who is his back up? Diallo can do for Olise, maybe rehabilitate Sancho? Then obviously a back up striker.
Buying Bremer, Branthwaite, Frimpong, Olise, Neves, Martinez over 2 summers massively improves the squad, with the obvious departures. Left back now seems to be a position that needs sorting too. Shaw is getting injury prone and Malacia is a big question mark currently. If Theo Hernandez was attainable then I’m jump all over him. A Neves/Mainoo partnership with Licha/Bremer behind them negate the need for an out and out DM, though we should have one within the squad for certain games and for injury cover. Varela would be ideal given how he’s performing but he’s also not too big a name to need to start every game. Latauro for me is perfect for us to bring in alongside Hojlund. They offer different options but are both decent strikers, 40 goals shouldn’t be a problem between them over a whole season.They could even start games together and compliment each other well I think. Rotis an issue with ETH as we all know but maybe adding more balance to our entire squad, he’d be more inclined to switch certain players around without disturbing his tactics.
So in summary
Bremer
Branthwaite
Frimpong
T Hernandez
Neves
Varela
Olise
L Martinez
I’m not gonna bother guessing transfer fees cause it’s a beat case scenario and all depends on outgoings and how we negotiate with our new transfer committee.
Also I know it’s very FM but I’m not arsed. They’re who I think we need and who I want.
So in summary
Bremer
Branthwaite
Frimpong
T Hernandez
Neves
Varela
Olise
L Martinez
I’m not gonna bother guessing transfer fees cause it’s a beat case scenario and all depends on outgoings and how we negotiate with our new transfer committee.
Also I know it’s very FM but I’m not arsed. They’re who I think we need and who I want.
Backup left and right full back (Young, with the left back more important as Shaw has 1-2 injuries a year).
2 midfielders that play well with Mainoo, ideally one attacking player maker (at least one young)
Either Greenwood back, or another player who can play as the striker, but also capable of playing other positions. (If he can only play as a striker, then he won't get many games)
Maybe, a young centre back if Maquire and\or Varane leaves
2 midfielders that play well with Mainoo, ideally one attacking player maker (at least one young)
Either Greenwood back, or another player who can play as the striker, but also capable of playing other positions. (If he can only play as a striker, then he won't get many games)
Maybe, a young centre back if Maquire and\or Varane leaves
Technically I imagine it being a 433 just in play Rcb-LCB-LB just shift over to make it more like a 3 at the back and Frimpong just being given freedom to just bomb down the wing.
No to osimhen if it means putting Højlund on the bench. This guy is our future
1. Rayan Ait-Nouri
2. Ousmane Diomande
3. Oumar Solet
4. Martin Zubimendi
5. Micheal Olise
6. Eric Choupo-Moting
I believe Ait-Nouri is a very good left back who has a lot of untapped potential. He has PL experience, and still young at 22. He has speed, is good on the ball and is good at progressing the ball,
Diomande has a very high ceiling, he is a beast who would help the physical profile of the side. But he has shows signs of being very capable on the ball. He is 20 and currently at Sporting.
Oumar Solet is also a big centre back, and his main strengths are his ball progressions. It is normal to see him carrying the ball forward and looking for a pass. He currently plays for Salzburg and is ready for a bigger club, he is 24 years old and would be a very very good third choice centre back for us.
Zubimendi could be the most important signing the clubs makes in a long time. He would excel sitting next to Mainoo and helping dictate the game. He is very good technically (as are most spanish mids) but also is combative and would be able to help in solidifying our central midfield. He has a 52 million release clause, so we should really try to get this one done.
Michael Olise would be an exciting addition, whilst I have big worries regarding his injury history, I think we could do with a wide playmaker and I think we could get the best out of Olise. He is fun to watch, but still inconsistent, which is to be expected of a young attacker. But being in direct competition with Garnacho could push both players to get better.
Choupo-Moting is just a reliable backup striker who can come in for cups, and at the end of games to relieve Holjund who looks like he will be a big player for us. He would be cheap and those funds can be allocated elsewhere.
2. Ousmane Diomande
3. Oumar Solet
4. Martin Zubimendi
5. Micheal Olise
6. Eric Choupo-Moting
I believe Ait-Nouri is a very good left back who has a lot of untapped potential. He has PL experience, and still young at 22. He has speed, is good on the ball and is good at progressing the ball,
Diomande has a very high ceiling, he is a beast who would help the physical profile of the side. But he has shows signs of being very capable on the ball. He is 20 and currently at Sporting.
Oumar Solet is also a big centre back, and his main strengths are his ball progressions. It is normal to see him carrying the ball forward and looking for a pass. He currently plays for Salzburg and is ready for a bigger club, he is 24 years old and would be a very very good third choice centre back for us.
Zubimendi could be the most important signing the clubs makes in a long time. He would excel sitting next to Mainoo and helping dictate the game. He is very good technically (as are most spanish mids) but also is combative and would be able to help in solidifying our central midfield. He has a 52 million release clause, so we should really try to get this one done.
Michael Olise would be an exciting addition, whilst I have big worries regarding his injury history, I think we could do with a wide playmaker and I think we could get the best out of Olise. He is fun to watch, but still inconsistent, which is to be expected of a young attacker. But being in direct competition with Garnacho could push both players to get better.
Choupo-Moting is just a reliable backup striker who can come in for cups, and at the end of games to relieve Holjund who looks like he will be a big player for us. He would be cheap and those funds can be allocated elsewhere.
It's that time of the year, already?
Using a 3—4—3 template, even though 4—3—3 is the personal favorite, as a lot of prospective Head Coaching candidates (Xabi Alonso (unrealistic, but you never know), Rúben Amorim, Julian Nagelsmann, Simone Inzaghi) seem to have a preference for that base, and we are unaware of Ratcliffe's preferences for United at this moment in time — maybe they will be in alignment, or they will arrive at a satisfactory agreement? There's nothing inherently wrong with the 3—4—3 either, you can play proactive, high-possession and high-press football with positional play underpinnings, and even fluidly transition to 3—2—5 on-the-ball or 4—4—2 off-the-ball. The upcoming summer should be about trimming some of the excess (while complying with the homegrown quota stipulations), taking care of business in surgical fashion, and constructing a Starting XI and, to a lesser degree, squad that is somewhat stable, and suited to executing the principles and tactics that are going to be installed by the Head Coach (so there are some fundamentals to systematically improve upon in subsequent windows); as opposed to deluded objectives like immediately challenging the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal, or arriving at the finished article right off the bat. Build a structure, show a clear commitment to principles and develop automatisms, first and foremost; individual compotents can be progressively replaced.
Outgoings, where do we even begin...
Incomings...
* Homegrown players.
** Will satisfy the quota when they turn 21 years old, so another year for Garnacho, 2 years for Mainoo, 3 years for Gray, and so forth.
Priorities for the 2025 window: offensive upgradation and baseline improvement might be the biggest, as and where applicale (especially the striker position, as Taremi will only be a stop-gap solution). Central defensive (particularly wrt. moving on from Varane, Evans, maybe even Saw) and central midfield cover (Jorginho) would be considerations, too. Maybe goalkeeper, depending on how things shake out with Onana and Kovář. The 2024 summer window will only be the first step of what is likely to be a long and drawn out process.
Using a 3—4—3 template, even though 4—3—3 is the personal favorite, as a lot of prospective Head Coaching candidates (Xabi Alonso (unrealistic, but you never know), Rúben Amorim, Julian Nagelsmann, Simone Inzaghi) seem to have a preference for that base, and we are unaware of Ratcliffe's preferences for United at this moment in time — maybe they will be in alignment, or they will arrive at a satisfactory agreement? There's nothing inherently wrong with the 3—4—3 either, you can play proactive, high-possession and high-press football with positional play underpinnings, and even fluidly transition to 3—2—5 on-the-ball or 4—4—2 off-the-ball. The upcoming summer should be about trimming some of the excess (while complying with the homegrown quota stipulations), taking care of business in surgical fashion, and constructing a Starting XI and, to a lesser degree, squad that is somewhat stable, and suited to executing the principles and tactics that are going to be installed by the Head Coach (so there are some fundamentals to systematically improve upon in subsequent windows); as opposed to deluded objectives like immediately challenging the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal, or arriving at the finished article right off the bat. Build a structure, show a clear commitment to principles and develop automatisms, first and foremost; individual compotents can be progressively replaced.
Outgoings, where do we even begin...
- Mason Greenwood: £30 million, maybe?
- Bruno Fernandes: £35 million, maybe?
- Casemiro: £25 million to a Saudi Pro League club?
- Marcus Rashford: £50 million, maybe?
- Facundo Pellistri: £5 million?
- Hannibal Mejbri: £5 million?
- Amad Diallo: £5 million?
- Victor Lindelöf: £5 million?
- Harry Maguire: £10 million? Any club that is willing to shoulder his wage burden, please and thanks.
- Antony: £10 million? Any club that is willing to shoulder his wage burden, please and thanks.
- Tyrell Malacia: £5 million?
- Donny van de Beek: £5 million? Any club that is willing to shoulder his wage burden, please and thanks.
- Jadon Sancho: £10 million? Any club that is willing to shoulder his wage burden, please and thanks.
- Christian Eriksen: £5 million? Any club that is willing to shoulder his wage burden, please and thanks.
Incomings...
- Goalkeepers (outlay of £10 million, or thereabouts?): Bring Matěj Kovář back to the club, have him play in cup competitions (which he is currently doing for Bayer Leverkusen), and compete with Onana if the latter suffers another dip in performance. Should not have been sold in the first place. Extend Heaton for a year as he counts as a homegrown player and barely impacts the financials.
- Central defensive trio (outlay of £90 million, or thereabouts?): Leny Yoro and Jarrad Branthwaite are fairly obvious signings for Manchester United — young, athletically capable and imposing, playing at a decent level already, and potential mainstays in due time (like Saliba and Gabriel for Arsenal). Ousmane Diomande fits that profile too, so could be an alternative. With the addition of the aforementioned duo, we will have a core of Lisandro Martínez, Raphaël Varane, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jonny Evans, which is good enough for next season.
- Wingbacks (outlay of £70 million, or thereabouts?): Rayan Aït-Nouri is 22 years old, good at progressing the ball and experienced in the Premier League (more of a dribbler, relatively, as that flank need it). Yan Couto is 21 years old, and also good at progressing the ball (more of a passer, relatively, as that flank need it), but this signing will hinge on Manchester City's willingness to selling him.
- Midfield double pivot (outlay of £90 million, or thereabouts?): pay Leeds what they want for Archie Gray, he seems to have the lot as a midfield prospect. But, he shouldn't be expected to start straightaway. We need to be careful with the development of young players, which includes Mainoo (who could rotate with Gray, his long term pivot partner (hopefully!)) and Garnacho. Exequiel Palacios (experienced in 3—4—3) also comes across as an obvious target given his high volume passing ability, perhaps even Alan Varela — one of those two would do nicely. Maybe scoop up Ayyoub Bouaddi as well — and loan back to Lille (or Nice, in the same league?) Potentially a really good pivot player. Signing Jorginho on a free transfer could be an astute short-term move as well — he can still pay a role, is experienced in big matches, and played some of his best football in a 3—4—3. With the addition of those players, we will have a core of Kobbie Mainoo, Archie Gray, Exequiel Palacios or Alan Varela, and Jorginho, which should be good enough for next season.
- Non-striker attackers (outlay of £90 million, or thereabouts?): like Jorginho, Mason Mount played his best football in a 3—4—3. Did not want him at United to begin with, but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade? Alejandro Garnacho is a shoe-in. Anther year, another Florian Wirtz transfer. Which has always been a good idea, doubly so to bolster an attack that will be losing Fernandes and Rashford; and he's another player with experience in 3—4—3 schemes. Not the fastest but a technically superb, press resistant, ball carriying playmaker who will constantly link midfield with the forwards. This department is a little light on numbers, but again, there's only so much you can do in one window.
- Striker: Rasmus Højlund must be the starter, he has shown enough in terms of present-day performance as well as ceiling. Mehdi Taremi as a short-term free transfer backup. Dunno, couldn't think of any other Bosman options. Stick McTominay up front, as a last resort.
- On a broader note, we should slowly seek to integrate the likes of Shea Lacey, Harry Amass, Jack Fletcher, Ethan Williams and others who show promise. 18 is the age where a lot of talents start making positive contributions at First Team level (like Garnacho and Mainoo for us, Saka for Arsenal, and so on). Williams is already 18, the other lads are 17 — so not that far away, might even get sporadic opportunities by the closing stages of next season.
* Homegrown players.
** Will satisfy the quota when they turn 21 years old, so another year for Garnacho, 2 years for Mainoo, 3 years for Gray, and so forth.
Priorities for the 2025 window: offensive upgradation and baseline improvement might be the biggest, as and where applicale (especially the striker position, as Taremi will only be a stop-gap solution). Central defensive (particularly wrt. moving on from Varane, Evans, maybe even Saw) and central midfield cover (Jorginho) would be considerations, too. Maybe goalkeeper, depending on how things shake out with Onana and Kovář. The 2024 summer window will only be the first step of what is likely to be a long and drawn out process.
Did mention a back up striker
Well werent CIty getting linked for around £50m before they signed DOku or Nunes, cant remember which at the timeWhy can’t we play them both ?
Did ya? Sorry.Did mention a back up striker
He’d an absolute must at 50m.
Because 442 with 2 proper center forwards doesn't work in modern day football...
So why are Leverkusen and inter dominating their domestic leagues
One plays 3412 and the 352 but yep twin strikers don’t work. It’s fair to say that Real Madrid are playing 4312 as well with J Bellingham as a false 9/10 and Vincinius and Rodrygo more narrow than previous seasons.
Part of being a great coach is to be flexible we don’t have to play 433 every game especially when it’s more like a 4-1-4-1 and the most negative brand of football available?
Leverkusen don't play with two strikers. They have just 1 central forward, Wirtz and someone else floating off them, and then wing backs bombing forward. Inter does it differently yes. They're an exception, we also have to aim much higher than Inter's level.
Real Madrid have a false 9 with inverted wingers basically, just players roaming... Hojlund and Osimhen are both classic #9's. You can't have 2 players for the same role like that.
Yes coaches need to be flexible. But you need to hit the balance and have all the basic roles ticked, one way or another. You also need to ask, what are our building blocks? The building blocks for our team are Hojlund, Garnacho and Mainoo. Every signing we make should be to build around them, to compliment them, and get a balanced team. It's really not that hard to build well. It's just a need to not get distracted by shiny toys and to stick with a plan that makes sense and making sure every signing has a clear purpose within that plan. You don't sign a player who is unsuited to your system and the players you have, or ask them to play a role they've never done. It's just dumb to do
Ins
Todibo
Branthwaite
Olise or Neto
New Striker
Redondo or Thuram
Outs
Antony
Beek
Martial
Lindelof
Maguire
Sancho
Eriksen
Todibo
Branthwaite
Olise or Neto
New Striker
Redondo or Thuram
Outs
Antony
Beek
Martial
Lindelof
Maguire
Sancho
Eriksen
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You seem very sure of that
With the right players it will still work
Do you really think if United can sign Victor Osimhen and he wants to come that most fans won’t be excited by that signing because it may upset Rasmus Hojlund ?
Rasmus is still a kid learning his trade, his body can’t cope with 45 games a season yet let alone 65 and he’s quite happy paying inverted right in a narrow three if we really want to bully teams, UNITED need GOALS not 1.3 goals per game but an average of 2 goals per game that means we need to find another 20-30 PL goals every season just to be in the current top 5, look at spurs without Kaine and Villa this season, they’ve scored 20 PL goals more than us.
Don't give a feck about what fans get excited by, most fans are quite dumb when it comes to that stuff
If our new owners are going to plan transfer windows based on appeasing fans then we'd be in big trouble.United can't sign Osimhen so it's a pointless conversation anyway.
We won’t be signing targets like Osimhen. SJR said that we’re not going to spend money frivolously. I think the days of us spending 100m on one player are gone
To be fair, there's a difference between spending big (presumably, on special players who will add an extra dimension to the team with their individual quality) and spending frivolously. The underperformance of Pogba, Maguire, Antony, Sancho calls for self-reflection, no doubt about that — but summarily giving up on all £70-100 million rated players, instead of addressing underlying issues, would be a short-sighted approach. What we really need need to do is implement a framework that rigorously assesses the players in this price bracket (to minimize the chance of costly underperformance, or worse yet, abject failure): are they good enough with regard to technical qualities, press-resistance, work rate and athleticism (data analysis goes a long way here), do they have the right age profile, mentality and appropriate drive/self-confidence, are they in line with the club's principles, are they what we really need or would the money be better spent elsewhere (Osimhen clearly doesn't qualify when we have a massively talented No. 9 in Højlund), are they appropriate fits for high-possession and high-press systems (which we should seek to implement), and things of that nature...
For reference, Gary Pallister's transfer fee was 16% of Manchester United's revenues in 1989, Roy Keane's transfer fee was 15% of Manchester United's revenues in 1993, Rio Ferdinand's transfer fee was 20% of Manchester United's revenues in 2002, and so forth. A £100 million signing would be between 12-15% of Manchester United's recent revenues, so it's not a massive departure from historical norms — this club has always spent big, Bryan Robson alone would be the equivalent of a £200 million transfer if you consider the club's revenues now!
In the longer term you’re probably correct but I think we will see one or 2 seasons of buying solid building blocks but ones that are cheaper with high potential before supplementing that in year 3. That’s how I see it anyway
For what it's worth, that sounds completely reasonable and prudent, can see where you are coming from. Get the fundamentals right, first and foremost, improve the baseline quality of the team with sensible, value-for-money signings, and subsequently, once you have a sturdy and sustainable platform, add a sprinkling of “Galácticos” to, hopefully, push the envelope and challenge on all fronts. Sounds like a plan!
That being said, there's more than one way to skin a cat; within 18 months of ownership, Silvio Berlusconi had already sanctioned the transfers of expensive players like Marco van Basten, Roberto Donadoni, Ruud Gullit, Stefano Borgonovo (on top of Daniele Massaro, Carlo Ancelotti, Angelo Colombo and so forth) — he didn't wait around, and the rest is history, as that Milan team cemented itself as one of the All-Time greats.
If there's a chance for United to procure genuine difference-makers (for example, a playmaker who could approximate the impact of De Bruyne at Manchester City or a centerback who could hypothetically be as transformative as van Dijk at Liverpool), we should absolutely pounce, instead of following some arbitrary timeline, as opportunities like that don't come around too often, and given our recent record, they might even end up playing for our biggest rivals (which would be doubly infuriating)!
Agreed that big purchase is long gone. We have so many positions to fill out, and then there's FPP restriction.
Good post. I agree we should not completely distance ourselves from those signings if there is a player out there that has all the attributes you mention and in an area of need for the 1st XI. Players I think that are semi-realistic and in those brackets for this summer would be - Joao Neves, Tchouameni, Rodrygo (if Rashford is sold).
I do however think we could have a lot of gaps to fill in the squad if we do have a clearout, especially as our biggest issue this year has been depth and the sizeable drop off from our starting XI. So a mix of smart value buys in the £25-50m range (of which there seems to be quite a few great options this summer) paired with a more marquee signing to take us up a level makes sense to me.
It does make a lot of sense because we need to strengthen multiple positions, not just one or two. Saying player X cost Y amount and was Z% of the total revenue in the past, so it's okay to buy similarly ignores the fact that in the past our buying in those windows was mainly restricted to that marquee player. The overall spend in the window wasn't a lot more than Z% of the total revenue spent. However, in the next couple of windows we'd need to buy at the minimum 4-5 players per window. So, if we spend a huge chunk on a single player, it'll restrict our ability to buy and strengthen with good potential talents (For the ranges you mention) for the other positions. One £100m purchase plus four £30m-£50m purchases may be unfeasible given the financial constraints and restrictions.
Not really. The year Manchester United signed Bryan Robson (for example), the club also signed the likes of Frank Stapleton, Paul McGrath, Remi Moses. The year Manchester United signed Gary Pallister (another example), the club also signed the likes of Paul Ince, Mike Phelan, Neil Webb. It's far from some sort of zero-sum game where you foolhardily exhaust all resources on a certain individual, and it's perfectly possible for the club to maximize its budget, and procure a Galáctico (or a Galáctico-in-the-making) who is likely to make a genuine difference, on top a few players who won't cost as much — as long as we offload certain players to improve the balance sheets (and overall financial health of the instutition), and employ clever accounting tricks. Orthodox measures like austerity are oftentimes counterproductive in the sporting realm (much like in the “real world”), and might needlessly throttle the possibly rampant evolution of the project.
For example, Florian Wirtz might cost £90 million or thereabouts, but his wages will be much lower than Bruno Fernandes' (which are in the £13 million per year range), and the latter could be sold for a decent amount of money too — all things considered it's unlikely to be a prohibitively expensive acquisition, and the player is only going to turn 21 in a few months (so he would represent a better investment than someone who seems to be visibly declining and unlikely to be a centerpiece of medium-term projections). Press-resistant, a good ball carrier as well as a good passer, seems sharp from a tactical perspective, one of the organizational reference points of his team already, 10 goals (no penalties) and 17 assists for Bayer Leverkusen this term, 3 x Bundesliga Player of the Month over the course of the ongoing campaign, and would go nicely with the exciting trio of Højlund, Mainoo and Garnacho.