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

One of the reasons why Smalling is doing so well. The same applies here in La Liga, the pace and intensity is nothing like the PL.

 

I was thinking the same about the Chelsea lad Abrahams who struggled at Chelsea but is banging them in at Roma.

 

Exactly! I certainly don’t look at Smalling now and second guess why he had to go. I’m happy that he’s doing well in Italy, but he simply wouldn’t have made the grade here at United as a first team player.

There are many examples like this. Look at Lukaku as well. He’s close to heading back to Inter.

This is why it’s hard to get overly excited when players are coming from outside the league because without ever experiencing the intensity, it’s hard to know how they will turn out. And even when it works out, it often takes time.

 

So it looks like Barcelona are happy to sell Frankie De Jong for £70m to United. However, the player needs some convincing as he wants to play CL football.

So how do you read this? Do you see it that we should only be going for players that want to play for us and if he needs convincing then we should look elsewhere? OR do you see it as quite the opposite - a player who has high standards and ambition and wants to perform at the highest level (in the CL) and he has exactly the mentality we should be going for?

 

I would prefer a player that want's to play for us and backs his own ability to help us get CL.

 

There is no question that this should be our preference. If Champions League is his main requirement, then we shouldn’t bring him here and spending all that money in salary for someone that is half interested in being here.

Also, Tottenham is playing in the CL, but anyone that would pick Tottenham over United obviously can’t see the bigger picture.

 

I have always said that any player that signs a 4 or 5 year contract on the strength of playing CL for one season is just bullshitting or stupid. There are a few teams that can guarantee CL next season means it will be the same the season after but "few" is the total.

 

I would generally agree but there are certain teams that you would consider absolute regulars of CL football. Unfortunately for the past 9 years we have not fallen into that category.

But tbh not being in the CL has its advantages for the very reasons you've stated. We should be getting players who want to play for us and who believe they can be a part of rebuilding the club. Not being in the CL may put off those that don't fit into that.

I just hope we don't try and compensate for that by offering ridiculous wages.

 

Surely he can come to United with the first aim being part of a team that gets champions league qualification for the next season?

Via two possible ways; win the EL this coming season and also get back in top four.

I genuinely don't see that as a sticking point.

There's a rather tedious conversation going on on the PL board about where Tielemans might go (who genuinely gives a ****?) and that he'd have gone to Arsenal if they'd have got top four. What would then happened the next season when they don't get top four, and he's got a four year contract? Does he just leave?

It's all bollocks, most of it media perpetuated.

 

“Paul Pogba wants to ‘feel loved’ and ‘enjoy himself’ at next club after Manchester United exit”

I wanna feel loved at work as well. But if I could get £295k per “year”, I actually wouldn’t mind being there most hated man on earth and I would still pull in my shift with blood and sweat.

 

Per week, £295k each ****ing week, week in, week out. Lazy bastard - if that was me I'd die on the pitch each week to earn a fraction of that money.

 

With £295k per week, there’d be enough people lining up to give me a new heart as a die at the end of each match. Haha

These fkers are brutally entitled! I have no idea what the word “love” has to do with being a functional member of any team. I don’t care if you’re paid £10/hour, when you sign up to do a job, then do it very well to the best of your ability for all to see.

Fkin fkers!!!

Special praise to all the volunteers all over the world doing jobs that no one wants to do for free.

 

You know it aint the money. The players who die on the pitch every week do it for the ambition. And the money follows.

I know the point you're making but I'd take a guess you'd give it your all first and foremost because you love the game and you're hungry to succeed. Then the money would be your reward for that.

That's the bit Pogba and his ilk will never understand.

 

Speaking of ambition…

Alvaro Fernandez!

I’m been watching many clips of this boy and he is an amazing talent. He has to be promoted to first team next season. He has far better tools in his arsenal than Shaw and Telles combined.

What we have lacked in recent seasons is that our fullbacks have lacked production which meant they rarely got in to assist in creating chances. The linkup play with the midfield constantly suffered and it ends up putting more pressure on the defence.

If we are to correct how the team plays, the starting point has to be with the fullbacks which is why AWB is up for sales. But I haven’t heard much on the left back position and it appears that both Shaw and Telles are staying. Seeing one of them leave this summer will signal that ETH will most likely be drafting in Alvaro.

ETH needs to use the opportunity of this fresh start to bring in talents that are already in the pipeline and use that as the base to support very strategic additions to the team from the transfer market. But I’m confident that if there is one manager that knows how to be resourceful, then it is that one manager!

I want to see the team playing with passion and promoting highly talented and ambitious U23 players at the club, should be considered as the best place to start the rebuilding.

 

One thing is that United are open to offers for Brandon Williams.

Which means Fernandez comes into the frame, yes.

I personally would keep Williams and get rid of Telles but i'll leave these decisions up to the new manager. As long as it is his decision of course!

 

As we edge towards the opening of the summer transfer window I am really hoping to see some quick and decisive business being done as opposed to the drawn out back page sagas and deadline day dramas that we've been used to under Woodward. That, to me, will be just as big an indication of progress as who we actually sign. Obviously the papers are all over the ins and outs already but some of the names being bandied about seem promising.

 

B

I posted something similar a couple of weeks ago. They've had plenty of time to get all their chips in order and plan. Lets see what Arnold and Murtough are made of. Add to that the fact Steve McClaren's said they've been working their nuts off over the past 2/3 weeks.

Lay down the marker I say. And that doesn't mean marquee signings btw, it could be raw talent but get 'em in at the start of the window and focus the preseason on building a team.

 

So the football journo's are doing stories of one player after another who doesn't want to come to us because we're not in the CL. Frankie De Jong the other day, now it's Nunez Darwin

I love how easy it is to just make these stories up bcos it's United and put them as top billing lol

 

If Liverpool are in for Nunez, I can see how that will create a problem for us. They have far better leverage than we can provide at this point in time. Only way that we would overcome it would be to offer insane money which is a terrible strategy if a player has a first choice that isn’t us. You start paying them too much and they eventually become every other player that we’ve had in the past decade. No drive, free money, run down contracts!

 

Spot on. I don't think ANY player is worth spunking big money on if they want to go elsewhere. There's no guarantee it will turn out to be a good buy either way so why put yourself in that position. Move on