Wot, no transfers?

[Valar Morghulis]

Ronny Jonson, was a good example.
Or how about Solkjaer?
Or Vidic?
Or how about Ronaldo? I hadn't heard of him until we signed him.

I'm sure that there are others.

Dont forget Evra's natural successor Alexander Búttner

Looks like we are sitting waiting to see what happens with Ronaldo, Bale, PSG's financial fairplay, Juve needing to sell to finance Ronaldo etc.

I really don't think we have time to wait around. I'd rather sign some fecking solid prospects for our weak areas because with this cowardly manager we aren't winning the league anyways.

 

[ROFLUTION]

We’ve always signed big names but I mean the smaller names are the ones that we’ve done well with. Now you’ve mentioned it I’m struggling to thing but it just feels like in the past we’ve not just gone for the short sellers to solve our problems and it’s paid dividends

I'll help out then: Chicharito, Valencia, Vidic, Johnsen, Evra, Rafael, Park, RONALDO, Solskjær, Schmeichel - it was truly our identity to sign these sort of players and built them up.

All under SAF, which maybe more says something about his ability to turn young/not-so-known players into world class performers.

 

[GaryLifo]

I think the potential availability of Bale after his post-cl final comments definitely affected the club's transfer plans. Bale is a player that both Woodward and Jose covet and, if truly available, I think the club would have to be in for him.

 

[Sassy Colin]

We appear to have been very busy:

http://sportslens.com/manchester-united-confirm-three-signings-and-10-departures/237545/

 

[Lennon7]

@ROFLUTION @sunama cheers, I was fecking knackered this morning! How could I forget Vidic, Evra, Chicha, Solskjaer. Wasn’t going to say Ronaldo because he was one of those youth products that I’m sure a lot of ardent football fans would’ve known about.

Besides, I’m not just talking about hidden gems, although to me they’re the best signings. I’m just talking about signing an alternative option to the biggest name - think Hazard from Lille to Chelsea (although that seemed big cause of that Twitter faff), or Salah to Liverpool. They turned out brilliantly but weren’t the star names at the time.

 

[ROFLUTION]

@ROFLUTION @sunama cheers, I was fecking knackered this morning! How could I forget Vidic, Evra, Chicha, Solskjaer. Wasn’t going to say Ronaldo because he was one of those youth products that I’m sure a lot of ardent football fans would’ve known about.

Besides, I’m not just talking about hidden gems, although to me they’re the best signings. I’m just talking about signing an alternative option to the biggest name - think Hazard from Lille to Chelsea (although that seemed big cause of that Twitter faff), or Salah to Liverpool. They turned out brilliantly but weren’t the star names at the time.

Np. I think what we've done differently (wrong?) since signing all of these great talents is that lately we've also bought declining players like Schweini, Di Maria, Falcao(?) who partly already made it and didnt have as much hunger.

That should be no 1 sign to look for. Is the player just here for the paycheck or is he truly a workhorse and hungry - Like Valencia/Young? Times have also changed and young players can suffer from the 'already made it' syndrome too: Depay, Morrison, Januzaj.

Thats why we need brilliant scouts - to get the personality/motivation part right too.

 

[MUFC OK]

@ROFLUTION @sunama cheers, I was fecking knackered this morning! How could I forget Vidic, Evra, Chicha, Solskjaer. Wasn’t going to say Ronaldo because he was one of those youth products that I’m sure a lot of ardent football fans would’ve known about.

Besides, I’m not just talking about hidden gems, although to me they’re the best signings. I’m just talking about signing an alternative option to the biggest name - think Hazard from Lille to Chelsea (although that seemed big cause of that Twitter faff), or Salah to Liverpool. They turned out brilliantly but weren’t the star names at the time.

Would be nice to look outside of the premier League for that unknown factor. Willian and Shaqiri make me want to cry, even though they are decent players. I'm sick of decent/okay/sensible/tried and tested at this football club, let's be a bit more maverick.

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

@ROFLUTION @sunama cheers, I was fecking knackered this morning! How could I forget Vidic, Evra, Chicha, Solskjaer. Wasn’t going to say Ronaldo because he was one of those youth products that I’m sure a lot of ardent football fans would’ve known about.

Besides, I’m not just talking about hidden gems, although to me they’re the best signings. I’m just talking about signing an alternative option to the biggest name - think Hazard from Lille to Chelsea (although that seemed big cause of that Twitter faff), or Salah to Liverpool. They turned out brilliantly but weren’t the star names at the time.

Eh... Hazard was the most coveted youngster at the time, having been Ligue 1 best player. City, us and Chelsea were all in for him. He was most definitely a star.

 

[Grylte]

Ronny Jonson

Who's that?

 

[Jezpeza]

Eh... Hazard was the most coveted youngster at the time, having been Ligue 1 best player. City, us and Chelsea were all in for him. He was most definitely a star.

Yeah I get your point, but he only cost 29m off the top of my head? Salah was only 36m. I think the point the guy was making is that In today's market those transfer fees are enormous value for money in terms of impact on the team, and when you look at us paying 80m for Lukaku, 80m for Pogba and 60m for martial, I think he's suggesting aren't there any players out there like that?

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

Yeah I get your point, but he only cost 29m off the top of my head? Salah was only 36m. I think the point the guy was making is that In today's market those transfer fees are enormous value for money in terms of impact on the team, and when you look at us paying 80m for Lukaku, 80m for Pogba and 60m for martial, I think he's suggesting aren't there any players out there like that?

It was 2012 and iirc he was running down his contract. It’s like saying Sanchez isn’t a star because he came on a swap deal.

 

[Jezpeza]

It was 2012 and iirc he was running down his contract. It’s like saying Sanchez isn’t a star because he came on a swap deal.

Don't get your point about Sanchez? And with regards Hazard, He was still a bargain at that point, it was after Ronaldo went to real for 80m and adjusted the market forever. Bleacher report for inflation adjusted transfer fees has him way down at 62 still.

 

[Beachryan]

To be fair for me it just says our targets are still at / only just departed the world cup.

Also I think it's great that all teams in the premier league will play the same squads. Ludicrous how different they could been August and September.

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

Don't get your point about Sanchez? And with regards Hazard, He was still a bargain at that point, it was after Ronaldo went to real for 80m and adjusted the market forever. Bleacher report for inflation adjusted transfer fees has him way down at 62 still.

Ronaldo at 80m didn’t really make that big of an impact on the market, transfers for top clubs were still around the 40-50m mark for a few years (Torres to Chelsea) until the Bale transfer in 2013, and that was only minimumly higher than Ronaldo’s despite being 4 years down the line. The influx of new TV and sponsorship deals are the real reason for the inflated market at the moment.

Hazard was a bargain because of his contract situation, same with RvP or Sanchez, players who would move for 60/70 mil if they have a year longer on their contract at the time of the transfer. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t one of if not the hottest prospect around at the time of his move.

 

[Jezpeza]

Ronaldo at 80m didn’t really make that big of an impact on the market, transfers for top clubs were still around the 40-50m mark for a few years (Torres to Chelsea) until the Bale transfer in 2013, and that was only minimumly higher than Ronaldo’s despite being 4 years down the line. The influx of new TV and sponsorship deals are the real reason for the inflated market at the moment.

Hazard was a bargain because of his contract situation, same with RvP or Sanchez, players who would move for 60/70 mil if they have a year longer on their contract at the time of the transfer. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t one of if not the hottest prospect around at the time of his move.

I get you! I do think that there are players out there to be had though who we can sign for better value though. Seems we have a kind of Galatico approach recently and it doesn't seem to be yielding any results on the pitch, maybe for marketing though. Also, apart from Bayern, Barcelona and Real every club in Europe seem to be a selling club but everyone seems to want 80m for anyone as soon as we take a sniff. Like Lazio quoting 80m for Savic. Worth about half that on a good day.

 

[Fer]

No doubt that's what Jose feels but I think we need another CM that is a starter in most games, just my opinion. Think Matic faded badly during the previous season. Fred is an upgrade on Herrera but not by much. McTom and Pereira aren't good enough if we have real aspersions of making it back to the top. They wouldn't be rotating in and out of PSG, Madrid, Barca, City, Juve, Bayern etc

They are okay to be the 6th or 7th option in our midfield.

Pereira
“I told him that I felt ready to compete. He was happy to hear that and said I would get my chance."

Also, Mourinho awarded McTominay a trophy for ‘Manager’s Player of the Year’.

So, I guess they would get some minutes vs easy teams if we need to rest Matic, Pogba, Fred, Herrera and Fellaini.

Next year, we could sign a midfielder to replace or rotate with Matic.

 

[Jezpeza]

They are okay to be the 6th or 7th option in our midfield.

Pereira
“I told him that I felt ready to compete. He was happy to hear that and said I would get my chance."

Also, Mourinho awarded McTominay a trophy for ‘Manager’s Player of the Year’.

So, I guess they would get some minutes vs easy teams if we need to rest Matic, Pogba, Fred, Herrera and Fellaini.

Next year, we could sign a midfielder to replace or rotate with Matic.

Yeah I agree. I keep saying we are well
Stocked in central midfield. Currently have Herrera, Mctominay, matic, Fred, Fellaini and blind who can play there, as well as pogba, mata, Lingard, who play in advanced centre mid. Too many fans think this is Fifa. In reality, you can't have matic, Fred, and pogba and then sell the rest and bring in veratta, Kroos and Savic as back ups. You have to have squad players who will accept playing fewer games. Who can you really get who's better than Herrera and happy to be a squad player and who is cheap enough to not waste a significant chunk of transfer budget on?

 

[Sandikan]

I'm quite happy with our business so far. Buying success never works, you want to make a few well-thought-out additions where they're needed each summer and an occasional splurge on a star if the right one becomes available every two or three years à la Pogba. One more signing of a Fred-esque stature in the game would do me, maybe another lower key one too. Ideally a right winger and/or left back. Main thing is to keep working on getting the best out of our existing players, which Mourinho has only managed to do inconsistently.

The only big names who are actually available are old, horribly overpriced and wouldn't fit into our set-up.

Do you want to tell that to Chelsea and Man City?
Buying success works fabulously when you have a much much higher budget than everyone else.

 

[King7Eric]

Yeah I agree. I keep saying we are well
Stocked in central midfield. Currently have Herrera, Mctominay, matic, Fred, Fellaini and blind who can play there, as well as pogba, mata, Lingard, who play in advanced centre mid. Too many fans think this is Fifa. In reality, you can't have matic, Fred, and pogba and then sell the rest and bring in veratta, Kroos and Savic as back ups. You have to have squad players who will accept playing fewer games. Who can you really get who's better than Herrera and happy to be a squad player and who is cheap enough to not waste a significant chunk of transfer budget on?

Who exactly are we gonna be spending this transfer budget on?? By all accounts we are not buying a LB, all the Bale talk has gone cold. If our only signing is going to be a CB, of whom we have 5 already, then I think people are right to question our transfer policy.

 

[christinaa]

What a bad transfer window till now - very disappointed.

 

[An Irish Red]

When Lingard and Rashford are frequent players in your attack you're not going to win the league. We're up against a team whose second choice forwards are levels above those two.

We seriously need quality in attack and I don't think we'll get it. I think this is Mourinhos last season. He's lost his ruthlessness.

 

[BluesJr]

No idea why PL clubs agreed to this early closure to window in a WC year. Beyond idiotic.

 

[SwansonsTache]

If we don't buy a LB and RW then it must be down to willingness to spend by the club, there is simply no way Mourinho can be satisfied with our options for those positions.

 

[sunama]

Do you want to tell that to Chelsea and Man City?
Buying success works fabulously when you have a much much higher budget than everyone else.

Indeed.

What a bad transfer window till now - very disappointed.

Indeed, again.

If we don't buy a LB and RW then it must be down to willingness to spend by the club, there is simply no way Mourinho can be satisfied with our options for those positions.

Agreed.

 

[Leftback99]

There is no obvious moves we will make unless we make a significant sale apart from Blind and Darmian. The squad is bloated with players that aren't top quality but expensive to replace.

Unless we sell a forward it's difficult to see us buying another. If we play 4-3-3 then only 3 of Lukaku, Sanchez, Lingard, Rashford, Martial and Mata are going to play at once, 3-5-2 and it could leave 4 on the bench.

The obvious upgrade in attack is a right winger. I can't see why Real would let Bale go so there's arguably no standout options compared to giving Rashford/Martial/Lingard the chance to make that role their own or playing Sanchez there. If we did buy a RW surely one would leave.

This leaves centre back where a quality and reliable partner for Smalling is required. But again one of Jones, Bailly, Rojo (why a new deal?) or Lindelof would surely need to leave.

Buying a left back would likely mean £100k+ a week Shaw would barely make a match day squad (Young or Dalot would probably get games first). Hence I don't think a new LB is a guarantee either.

 

[King7Eric]

There is no obvious moves we will make unless we make a significant sale apart from Blind and Darmian. The squad is bloated with players that aren't top quality but expensive to replace.

Unless we sell a forward it's difficult to see us buying another. If we play 4-3-3 then only 3 of Lukaku, Sanchez, Lingard, Rashford, Martial and Mata are going to play at once, 3-5-2 and it could leave 4 on the bench.

The obvious upgrade in attack is a right winger. I can't see why Real would let Bale go so there's arguably no standout options compared to giving Rashford/Martial/Lingard the chance to make that role their own or playing Sanchez there. If we did buy a RW surely one would leave.

This leaves centre back where a quality and reliable partner for Smalling is required. But again one of Jones, Bailly, Rojo (why a new deal?) or Lindelof would surely need to leave.

Buying a left back would likely mean £100k+ a week Shaw would barely make a match day squad (Young or Dalot would probably get games first). Hence I don't think a new LB is a guarantee either.

Pretty much this. I also don't really see where a new signing is going to come from. We may probably sign someone like Mandzukic but it's not nearly enough.

 

[Lennon7]

Eh... Hazard was the most coveted youngster at the time, having been Ligue 1 best player. City, us and Chelsea were all in for him. He was most definitely a star.

He was the most coveted youngster in the same way Ronaldo was, but you can’t say he was in the same league of stardom as Bale, Di Maria etc. He could’ve easily gone badly for Chelsea, I really wanted him but I wasn’t distraught we didn’t get him at the time.

 

[Kag]

If we don't buy a LB and RW then it must be down to willingness to spend by the club, there is simply no way Mourinho can be satisfied with our options for those positions.

Mourinho thinks Ashley Young is an excellent left back. So does Gareth Southgate for that matter. I don't, you don't, but he clearly does.

If we don't buy in these positions then it will be the fifth time Mourinho has neglected to spend there. The idea that it'd the club at fault seems farcical.

 

[breakout67]

The signings are pretty obvious and have been consistent. We are in for a LB, CB, RW and back-up striker.

3 of those positions are at the world cup. Madzukic, Willian and Alderweireld. So it's understandable why there is no news.

Of course this doesn't mean we aren't working on other deals, as there have been reports in italy that we have been trying to get a CB from Seria A.

 

[Reiliano]

When Lingard and Rashford are frequent players in your attack you're not going to win the league. We're up against a team whose second choice forwards are levels above those two.

We seriously need quality in attack and I don't think we'll get it. I think this is Mourinhos last season. He's lost his ruthlessness.

Every other post slating rashford is written by you. Give it a rest for f##k sake, it's boring

 

[Adisa]

I'm getting worried. We haven't done enough to mount a title challenge... nowhere near.

 

[christinaa]

I really would like Willian but Barca want him too.

 

[Leftback99]

The signings are pretty obvious and have been consistent. We are in for a LB, CB, RW and back-up striker.

3 of those positions are at the world cup. Madzukic, Willian and Alderweireld. So it's understandable why there is no news.

Of course this doesn't mean we aren't working on other deals, as there have been reports in italy that we have been trying to get a CB from Seria A.

Mandzukic and Willian would barely improve our starting 11 if at all, we'd be better off giving the game time to Martial and Rashford to develop.

 

[Frank Grimes]

Really weird summer transfer wise, anyone would think PL clubs have more time to do their business, not less

 

[Sandikan]

We are still right in the middle of the world cup. That's the bit people seem to refuse to accept slows things down.
That and it's always like this, calm, and then it all goes mad.

Just be glad we're not Chelsea. They haven't even managed to sort the manager situation out yet, let alone recruit players.
And this from a team who came 5th!

 

[breakout67]

Mandzukic and Willian would barely improve our starting 11 if at all, we'd be better off giving the game time to Martial and Rashford to develop.

That's lovely.

 

[endless_wheelies]

Maybe European clubs known how hamstrung Premier League clubs have made themselves with such a ridiculous deadline in a World Cup year, and so are stringing deals out as much as possible to maximise our desperation.

Another problem specifically for ourselves is we probably have to get some players off the books before we buy en masse, however it makes sense for buying European clubs to wait until after our deadline to make their moves as then we will have to sell.

 

[Leftback99]

That's lovely.

Nice sarcasm but is buying a Chelsea sub for £60m really going to get us that much closer to City than for example just playing Sanchez on the right?

 

[An Irish Red]

Mandzukic and Willian would barely improve our starting 11 if at all, we'd be better off giving the game time to Martial and Rashford to develop.

Well, Mandzukic wouldn't even get in our starting eleven but he'd be our best back up option. Willian is a better player than anything we have on the right though.

Both of them would be good signings.

 

[breakout67]

Nice sarcasm but is buying a Chelsea sub for £60m really going to get us that much closer to City than for example just playing Sanchez on the right?

That's not for me to decide and I don't have a deep understanding of the team dynamics of the squad.

Sometimes, signings that make the team better but are not super exciting are the way to go.

A better balanced team, instead of trying to shoe horn in young talents might do us good. Of course the young talents will get regular game time, but they won't be the driving force of the team.