13 Jul 2024 08:12:43
Big Willy off to Villarreal. Must mean at least 2 centre backs coming in if either Maguire or Lindelof also go.

1.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 08:30:21
Does anyone know if any young CBs from youth teams good enough to get a squad place?

2.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 08:48:57
Buy back clause too. Good move if he wants game time. A bit of a fee (everything is needed right now) and the ability to buy back if he is smashing it. good stuff.

3.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 09:10:53
Romano just reported fee off around 10m euros permanent move with buy back clause. I think we are definitely buying two cb's by the looks of it and one of harry or lindelof will go once we secure deals. That will give us 4 Cb's with Evans being the stop gap as a fifth. Hope that's enough and not a repeat of last year and probably need someone from the youth team to provide minutes.

4.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 09:38:20
Disappointed to see him leave but with the players rumoured to be coming in he probably sees his chances next year as being limited. Likely would have gone out on loan this year if we had not needed to use him last year but now has had a taste for first team wants more of it.
Bit like Mengi needed a bit more time to develop but will be a good player as Mengi has shown this year.

Glad we have got buy back option

Definitely 2 CBs coming in and Maguire likely to stay. Gives us a good group of 5 with Evans, Martines plus 2 new.

5.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 10:37:57
I like the guy but not sure he was good enough to be honest.
Did a good job when called upon but for me didn’t look as good as Axel or Mengi, who both weren’t good enough when at Utd.

Good luck to him.

6.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 10:52:57
It's always sad to see a talented young academy lad leave. Yet he needs to play regularly if he is the achieve his full potential.

The club seems to be doing much smarter business this summer, selling young players who might struggle for game time, but inserting buy-back clauses means we still have the option to bring them back if they reach their full potential. While adding more money to the kitty in the short term will help dig us out of the financial hole we find ourselves in.

I didn't have Kambwala down as a player we could see leave this summer. Maybe a loan deal, but not a permanent move.

Maybe the new owners are cleaning house in defence. We've made bids for Branthwaite, MdL and Yoro, with the general consensus being that it'd be two of those three signed.

Yet maybe it's a case of looking to bring in all three. From our current options the only two CB's we can be sure will be staying are Martinez and Evans (after signing a new one year deal) . Varane has left, Kambwala is heading out the door, we've offered Lindelof as part exchange so can safely assume he'll be leaving, while there is no certainty over Maguire. I suspect if a club slapped 40m on the table the club would bite their hand off. We did accept a bid for him last summer after all.

With Kambwala leaving Yoro does make a little more sense. We could go into next season with CB options of Martinez, Branthwaite, MdL, Yoro and Evans. Which is starting to look like a defence befitting of a top club. Really good players, with a great range of ages.

Could it be that the club are looking to build from the back, get the defence sorted this summer. Maybe focus on the midfield next summer, and the forward line the year after? That would be a sensible, logical plan. We have also been linked with a few full backs as well this summer. Hancko, Kerkez, Ferdi Kadioglu and Rayan Aït-Nouri have all been linked at LB. While Kayode is the most linked RB, although I've heard whispers of a potential loan with an obligation to buy for Sacha Boey from Bayern Munich being discussed during talks for MdL. Supposedly the club see him as a good back up option if AWB leaves, while Bayern feels he hasn't worked out with them and are looking to recoup their investment.

7.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 11:15:17
Apparently turned down a new contract with one year left in search of game time and maybe more money at this time. It's a pity because the time and money come if you are good enough. Would have liked to had him for one more season but he can't complain if we are going for players of even better quality.
I think lindelof might be off too so hopefully yoro agrees. Might even leave space for Branthwaite. lindelof Kambwala out, two out of De Light, Yoro, Brainthwaite in. Pretty good upgrading but they will need time to settle.

8.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 11:21:53
We will not be getting Branthwaite and Yoro. Slim chance we get Yoro anyway. Willy leaving means one of Lindelof or McGuire are staying and we have a smaller spending budget.

9.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 11:27:16
How about Harry and Lindelof both go and we bring in MDL, JB and Yoro.

10.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 12:14:28
We are definitely only getting 2 new CBs. If we need a 3rd I think we would look cheap end.

Yoro is a potential generational talent that makes sense to go for. Otherwise I think it is definitely de ligt/ Branthwaite.

11.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 13:15:19
Cannot see Maguire going, with both MdL and Licha's injury history might be better he stays.

12.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 16:02:45
Cannot just bring in Yoro and De Ligt both are right sided and we'd be in the same mess again if licha got injured.

Needs to be 1 of Yoro/ De Ligt and a left sided defender Branthwaite would be the best option as he can cover both sides.

If we sell Kambwala, Maguire and Lindelof we could bring in all 3 but I'm not sure that happens.

We have to get cover for licha we cannot be stuck changing our tactics because we're stuck with Maguire again next season.

13.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 16:30:37
With Everton selling Onana to Villa, they won’t sell Branthwaite too. Yoro will go to Real.
Our CB options (in order) next season will be:

1. Martinez
2. De Ligt
3. Maguire
4. Shaw
5. Evans.

14.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 18:44:09
Spending north of £150m to buy 3 CB’s doesn’t seem likely.

15.) 13 Jul 2024
13 Jul 2024 19:51:02
Fuser if that is the greatest area of concern, why not?
Is there an area of the team that need more attention than CBs? I'd argue we should reset the deck and buy those 3 if possible.

16.) 14 Jul 2024
14 Jul 2024 02:04:28
we spent north of 80 for a donkey!

17.) 14 Jul 2024
14 Jul 2024 07:20:57
Is Willy actually that good? I think if he was, he’d have been given a new deal and assurances of playing time. The fact we’re actively working on deals for 3 CBs, and have extended Evans, suggests there was not a massive amount of faith in his ability to step up a level.

18.) 14 Jul 2024
14 Jul 2024 08:03:49
Agreed Eric, was hardly knocking on the door.
If we didn't have the injuries last season, would be of had a breakout season? I severely doubt it.

19.) 14 Jul 2024
14 Jul 2024 08:55:54
Very little chance of Yoro joining in my opinion. He wants Real Madrid and at the very least he wants to be playing every week. Well that’s what’s being reported. Can’t see him joining United to be backup.
(But the report of him wanting playing time doesn’t stack up with wanting Madrid, he would be getting on the pitch that much there for a while) .

If it was down to me I’d stay clear of Yoro anyway. Bringing in players that aren’t really that interested in the move never works out well.

I’d also agree with the above, JB won’t be joining. Everton probably don’t need to sell and won’t budge on their crazy valuation. And does JB really want to join to be backup to Martinez? It was reported this week (could be nonsense) that United won’t go above £50m for any one player. So that would rule JB out.

I would imagine MDL might be the only addition this summer at CB. Which will likely mean Evans and Maguire starting a lot more games than anybody would like.

20.) 14 Jul 2024
14 Jul 2024 11:20:17
Fuser, last summer didn't Liverpool spend something similar on signing 4 midfielders (Mac Alister, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch and Endo)?

If it's the area you feel needs totally rebuilding then why not?

Most people within football tend to agree that you start building a team from the defence out. I wouldn't be surprised if this summer United mostly focused on the defence, then next summer mostly focus on the midfield. Before looking at the forward line the following summer (with Højlund and Zirkzee signed recently, along with young prospects like Garnacho and Amad, maybe this is an area we can afford to wait on and see how those players develop) .

21.) 14 Jul 2024
14 Jul 2024 11:34:17
Shame he's going but from his perspective if he can see us being linked to every CB on two legs I'm not surprised.
I personally think we'll only get 1 of the 3 we've been talking to. Yoro doesn't feel like it's going to happen, Real tend to get what they want one way or the other. Maybe back onto one of the Portuguese pair we've been linked with?

22.) 14 Jul 2024
14 Jul 2024 12:06:53
Shappy, Liverpool didn’t have massive FFP issues like Utd does to start, they also didn’t need an entire new squad like United either and both Henderson and Fabinho (for good fees) left a little unexpectedly which meant a big overhaul. I don’t know how close to the bread line United are but it would take summer spend to £200m including Zirkhzee. Would also mean keeping all current midfield options of Casemiro, McTominay and Erickson no?

If that’s what the board want to do, ie do it in stages fair play but I don’t see it working that well.

23.) 14 Jul 2024
14 Jul 2024 12:32:24
Spenno, the club needs to sign at least two CB's this summer and are doing all they can to sign them by the looks of it.

Unfortunately options are limited when it comes to finding players who are good enough, available, and willing to join us.

Todibo has been ruled out. He was one of the few options that looked reasonably priced. While Yoro has his heart set on Madrid.

MdL looks like it'll probably happen, a surprise option that has oddly become available for a reasonable price and the player is willing to drop his wages.

Branthwaite will cost between 60-65m but then the alternatives aren't that much cheaper in all fairness.

Antonio Silva will cost at least the same if not more from Benfica, while he has no EPL experience. Making him more of a gamble.

Inacio or Diomande from Sporting will both cost 50-55m each, both have exceled in a back three system, and like Silva they don't have EPL experience making them more of a gamble.

In the EPL players like Kilman have moved to West Ham for 40m, if that was to a club like United to Chelsea then you'd expect that fee to be a little higher due to top clubs tax. That sets the bar for what above average players will cost.

Marc Guehi is probably the only other one available from within the EPL who looks good enough. He's having a good international tournament with England and with Palace already selling Olise for a big fee they don't have any need to sell. I'd imagine he'd cost 50m at a bare minimum, more likely 55-60m.

Beyond Guehi, Silva, Inacio and Diomande who out there is good enough and available?

I don't see anyone, so if we don't pay the price for Branthwaite or the marginally smaller price for one of the alternatives then the only option left is to drop down. A level and sign players like Chalobah or Hancko for 35-40m. Which to me seems like madness. Why spend so much on players who ultimately aren't good enough and will just need replacing down the line, when for 10-15m more we can just buy a good enough option right now.

24.) 14 Jul 2024
14 Jul 2024 14:37:49
I think Yoro deal is us chancing our arm.

I’d expect MDL and Branthwaite to both join instead.