Why are we avoiding signing world class players?

[RedDevilzFox]

Yeah a 29 year old and 27 year old players in their prime vs a 23 year old player who is young and adapting to a much harder league than he is used to!

Either way you look at it DVDB looks like a 'fish on a tree' at United. Not saying he is a bad player just horribly out of place. He is a systems player playing in a team that doesn't have one. I doubt even Ole can explain what system does his team play, they look like players who pass the ball the first team mate they see around without much of thinking. Kind of like we used to play on weekend, its just United have much better quality of players that we did. So they still producing magical moments, but I doubt anyone can look at United and say, yeah well, this is how we play!!

 

[van Persie]

Glazers

 

[bond19821982]

The only arguably world class players there, at the point of us signing them, were Pogba and Di Maria.

Sanchez was totally burned out the season before we signed him. Lukaku has always been a million miles away from world class. Mata was frozen out at Chelsea for a season.

With Di Maria, Sanchez and Mata in each case we were going after big names who were rejects at their current clubs, for one reason or another.

With that logic , who else is signing world class players now ? The last player that was signed is Neymar. I can argue every other signing wasn't worldclass until after they were signed.

 

[Bebestation]

Either way you look at it DVDB looks like a 'fish on a tree' at United. Not saying he is a bad player just horribly out of place. He is a systems player playing in a team that doesn't have one. I doubt even Ole can explain what system does his team play, they look like players who pass the ball the first team mate they see around without much of thinking. Kind of like we used to play on weekend, its just United have much better quality of players that we did. So they still producing magical moments, but I doubt anyone can look at United and say, yeah well, this is how we play!!

Let me ask you how many true alreary known world class players did Liverpool buy before winning the CL and PL?

In my eyes Salah, Mane, Van Dijk, Gomez, Widjanldum etc all came from teams lower than Liverpool and had to prove and improve their play once they reached Liverpool. They turned in to World Class players due to their achievements and players that ended up valued by alot due to their achievements. Salah that may move to Real Madrid is different to the Salah that joined Liverpool from Roma. One is more guaranteed and one had to prove himself.

I actually feel the only "world class" they outright bought that didnt have to prove himself is Thiago.

What happened with Thiago? In my opinion the player has arrived as a total top player with a specific type of gameplay that requires certain tactics that is completely opposite to how the rest of the Liverpool midfield and team used to play. Liverpool have started to try to adapt to Thiago's strengths rather than Thiago adapting and playing to Liverpool's strengths and tactics.

This is why clubs are sometimes hesitant to buying players at their peak and at their best (viewed as WC players) because it can heavily influence the tactical balance of the team.

VDB bought as a younger player has time to adapt to the teams strength and tactics because he is yet to be seen as a perfect world class player.

The best version of this in my opinion is Cristiano Ronaldo. The guy if bought now as this world class legend - would he adapt to play like United or would we have to adapt to accommodate him?

In reverse, what happened with Ronaldo when he came from Sporting to the PL? He started off as a super skilled player yet he ended up moulding completely to the league - becoming a super strong, physical, aerial, long distance, clinical finisher type of player looking like a partner to his team mates like Rooney and tevez. Is this a coincidence? That a young player adapts to his team mates and tactics rather than the club moulding the team and tactics to get the best out of a young player that isnt even in his prime yet.

 

[Abraxas]

Well, I don't think we need to prove we're "top dog" when it comes to transfers.

One because building a good side isn't about involving the ego, in fact that is likely to cloud decision making.

And two because we are clearly not the top dog or even close in pure financial clout and definitely not in terms of current sporting position. To pretend otherwise in an attempt to make a statement signing would not be very smart as we need to face the market in a state of preparation and readiness.

However, if the money is there and the player is right and wants to come and it happens to be a statement signing, so be it. I find this unlikely as it flies in the face of Corona related financial results and we are overseen by pure business men. Put the two together and you are going to probably find the purse strings are relatively tight.

They're certainly not going to panic and throw money at something, because the owners see an investment in the squad as a means to an end, a way to keep us relevant and therefore financially profitable. So what reason is there if we have had an okay season and secured European football? I think this is the "why" contained within the original post. Far more likely is they'll continue on the current trajectory, we will make signings but there will have to be outgoings, and there will be further commitment to youth.

 

[UTD_Since_1978]

My take on it is this.

In the 80s & 90s, the top class players normally went to the Italian & Spanish league, the English league & its climate was not that attractive to them especially ones coming from a warm climate country (yeah I know two world class Brazilians plied their trade in the Dutch league before moving to Spain, quite how PSV managed to do that I just don't know).

In the 2000s when the EPL became a money powerhouse the Italian league lost its glamour but Real Madrid & Barca due to their name & climate, the big stars still are attracted to those two.

Now in 2021 with Ronaldo & Neymar no longer in the Spanish league & Messi 34 maybe even Real Madrid & Barca have lost their appeal. Of course City & Chelsea have their oil money & maybe star names would rather join City as they are doing better than UTD at the moment or Chelsea as they'd rather live in London than Manchester.

Is Woodward even capable of signing a truly world class player anyway?