Transfer Rumours Let's ignore the big ****ing elephant and blame the latest manager, again. Are we nearly there yet?

Won't be too bothered if he goes tbh.
For me he is a big part of the problem, named as captain yet the first to start shaking his head and slumping his shoulders when things start to go wrong. We have some very decent young players like Mainoo and Amad who this does not give a great example to.
On the flip side he always puts 100% into a game and when things go right is our best player most matches. Maybe if Mbueno and Cunha work out it will take some of the pressure off him and we will see a more composed player because he can certainly create when he gets time.

 

Bruno would need to play in midfield with Cunha, Mbuemo and Zirkzee the front three.

So, he's not ideal in midfield, as we've seen.

I'm personally thinking he should go, we keep Mainoo and go for a CM. Wharton?

But, I think he'll stay, instinctively.

 

I say go. For a player his age we should be biting their hand off. £100m added to our proposed spend this window completely transforms the quality of players we could bring in. Doesn't take away from his fantastic service to the club though.

 

Well, he's staying.

Which is still a good thing, he's a very good player and when he shows discipline and isn't all over the place, he's a truly excellent player.

The sad news, Chelsea are sending Sancho back.

Turns out it wasn't United after all, eh. I mean, who knew?

 

We should get rid of Bruno, regardless of the current statement that he’s staying. If we can get £50m-£60m for him, take it! That midfield needs a rebuild from ground up and it starts to Bruno. Get in a younger playmaker and build around them.

We exert no control in the midfield, no motivation when chips are down, and no fulcrum driving force that will break through walls. Bruno is not that force! Whilst he’s a good player, he is more of a cute one. But cute is not what we need at the moment. We need to end that era.

 

Not sure that will work, they were offered £100 million and left it up to Bruno. He declined.

They aren't now going to force him out for half that.

If he shows discipline, and stays out of Cunha, Mbuemo and Zirkzee's way, and feeds them from midfield instead, then he's still an asset.

Mainoo/Ugarte alongside him for some legs. Or sign another CM? I'd rather they make do with who we have now, and sort out the centre forward/keeper situations.

And also get rid of Sancho, Rashford, Antony and Garnacho, assuming there are takers.

 

Mainoo and Ugarte ought to get more game time now that Eriksen has gone. One more CM to give us an option for Casemiro (if he doesn't leave), plus a decent striker would make for a decent first window.

 

If Bruno stays, should he remain the captain next season? If not Bruno, then who?

 

Yes, he should.

I doubt he'd not leave, only to then be stripped of the captaincy.

 

Bruno was by far our best player last year. Maybe he’s been the best player since he’s actually been here except for that Rashford year.

However, I do not think he makes the players around him better. We see evidence of that when the team is struggling. His body language and actions do very little to inspire in those moments when a leader is needed.

That is why I think we need a full tear down of this era and embrace a new path away from Bruno. Hell, it ain’t like we could do any worse next season.

 

Like I've previously said, with a front three of Zirkzee, Cunha and Mbuemo, he would likely drop into midfield.

Being given that discipline, could be the making of him.

I'd hope he'd be less arm throwing if he had three cutting edge players in front of him doing the work he thinks he has to do.

There's no other candidate now he's staying, tbh.

 

It will be a real shame if we end up losing Mainoo. At that point, there’d be no English players on the first team which is a massive break away from tradition.

 

Whether you have to sell Mainoo or not will likely depend on whether you can offload Rashford and Sancho.
I doubt you will have much trouble shifting antony or Garnacho, but Rashford and Sancho may be an issue, since their wage demands are very high for the level of quality they have shown of late. They both have displayed excellent ability in the past, but thats the past, and in the last 2 season, both players have been lacklustre.

If you need funds and cant move them two on, then you will have to sell someone who is more sellable....and will bring you 100% profit, ie Mainoo.

 

Team or squad?

It's not like Mainoo played that much this season, but there are the likes of Maguire, Mount, Shaw, Collyer, Amas still very much in the squad..

He shouldn't be sold though, no. Not at all.

 

This is an example of how we have spent foolishly on transfers and particularly insane wages above the average without a clear exit strategy has come back to become a massive problem for us. That has to gradually become a thing of the past with INEOS.

I guess the question is, do we still see any value in continuing the tradition of having English players as the backbone of the first team. I know we have local boys in the squad, but they are largely fringe players at this point. It would stink if the decision on Mainoo is simply a money issue. He should be making that first team with his talent. I disdain reading about how he doesn’t fit into “the system”.

 

No way we should let Mainoo go, he is good enough and also part of our heritage (always have academy grads in the team) not essencital but nice.
Been reading the news lately and see Kepa is available for £5m, not a great keeper but better than Onana and at that price we should at least be looking at him as a good alternative if we have nothing else.

 

think Arsenal have already signed him

 

It isn’t so easy managing England after all, especially given how much everyone disdained Southgate.

 

Tuchel is the very same bloke people were saying we should have gone for as our manager.

 

I believe many recognized his affinity to create toxic environments. That was a sticking point. It would be worse than the end of Mourinho era.