09 Jul 2022 20:18:19
Despite United reaching an outline agreement on a fee, and the combined efforts of Barcelona, the player’s agent and Ten Hag to persuade De Jong to accept the transfer, he has repeatedly stated his intention to remain at Barcelona.
This is from Duncan Castles. Should Utd move on now…?
09 Jul 2022 21:31:50
FZZ if I was owed £17 million quid I’d be standing my ground to I get it.
09 Jul 2022 21:38:50
Fdj had never wanted to leave Barca, so as some of us have been saying for months, just move on and get a decent DM. Tbh, I would have bought Rice and no other player. We need that position sorting and Rice plays in so many positions.
Will see what happens from here, but I will not be buying fdj or Ericksen.
09 Jul 2022 23:38:10
Doesn’t matter if it were Barcelona or Leyton Orient if i were owed l £17m I’d say I’m staying put till I get it.
10 Jul 2022 01:55:58
AAA
Problem is, I'm not sure Rice wants to come to utd. And westham don't need to, or want to sell this year. So they would want well over $100m for him. Which is crazy money these days.
I do agree that he would be a fantastic player to anchor the midfield, he has incredible positioning, snuffs out danger often without fuss, but also is good with the ball both passing and driving forward.
Expecting he ends up at chelsea maybe in 12 or 18 months.
10 Jul 2022 06:37:57
Rice would be my number one player that we could buy. West Ham have been quite clear they don't want to sell so this year its a no go.
I think we go in for him next year as will others. Let's see where we are in terms of rebuild and what we as a club offer a player. For me I would telling Rice he is the player we build around, he will be our Captain and leader. He's the heir to throne of Keane Scholes Robson Charlton Edwards of World Class United Midfielders.
For Rice a a player I think staying at West Ham is probably the right thing, he is the on field Captain and focus o father team but this year he is also the club captain taking offer from Noble. Its a chance to grow again as a player. Which he has done every season.
It's not just about on the pitch for me, it's the off the pit h influence too we need leaders in the dressing room and by all accounts listening to Stuart Pearce on him he is this as well.
He is effectively under contract until 2025 so isn't going to be cheap next year either but United need to do everything they can to sign him imho.
10 Jul 2022 06:43:51
Dodgy, unfortunately, you might be right on both counts. But I think we would've had more chance persuading Rice to come than fdj. Rice is not signing a new deal, so although West Ham don't want to sell, he'll be worth every penny of the money they're asking for him. He's twice the player fdj will ever be.
10 Jul 2022 07:26:42
Rice and FDJ are different players who excel at different things.
FDJ is a far superior passer of the ball than Rice will ever be. He's on the same level as someone like KDB.
Rice of the other hand is more physically robust and more proactive defensively.
They play a similar role in different ways to suit their strengths. Both fantastic players.
Yet given their stylistic differences I wouldn't say one would be an alternative to the other if the manager has a specific style of play they wish to use.
Personally I think Ruben Neves is a must closer stylistic match for FDJ than Rice. He might be the kind of option EtH might want to switch to if the FDJ deal is not going to end with him holding up a United shirt.
10 Jul 2022 08:04:08
See, I don’t actually buy into all the hype surrounding FDJ if I’m totally honest, and he certainly isn’t on the same stratosphere as Kevin De Bruyne. He’s a good passer of a ball and obviously has some star quality, otherwise why would Barcelona have taken him. But to be honest he looked a lost soul at times last season. If you picked KDB up and plonked him in that Barcelona team he’d have shone from the get go. Me for one won’t be majorly heartbroken if we don’t get him.
10 Jul 2022 08:34:05
FiremanC, I think the quality of his passing is equal to KDB's not the level of his performances.
I think the issue FDJ is having at Barcelona is that he plays best in the same role that Busquets is playing. As a result he has been shunted out of position slightly which means he often can't play at his peak level as he isn't in his best position.
10 Jul 2022 10:17:29
AaA is it more important to you that the club do or try to do what the manager wants or is it more important that the club does what you want them to do?
Do you think the club should try and support the manager in getting the players he wants for his formation?
Or do you think you are better placed to know what's required than eth?
I'm asking simply because you have criticised the club before for signing 3rd or 4th choice players unwanted by managers like Fred or lindelof for example.
1 rice is not for sale.
2 he has never expressed an interest in joining united
3 he has never expressed an interest in. leaving West ham
4 he is too expensive
5 he is not a target for our manager.
10 Jul 2022 11:53:26
Yeah but apart from that Ken Utd should definitely be trying to buy him.
10 Jul 2022 12:29:41
I have never understood our collective love-in with Rice. He is so clearly destined for Chelsea. They can afford whatever fee West Ham put on him, he stays in London, likely in Champs League, and gets to play with his best mate Mason Mount.
I don't think he has ever expressed a desire to come to United. Its we who have expressed a desire in him.
Same with Bellingham. I do think the destination of both Rice and Bellingham is absolutely key. And suspecting they both move next summer United must be in the Champions League by then even to be in contention. Just as I see Rice at Chelsea, it looks to becoming more apparent Bellingham will be Liverpool bound. They already looking to take on his younger brother, Klopp will use his Dortmund connections to keep tabs on him I'm sure and not least Liverpool, like City, are a great side at the moment. Besides he has already turned us down once!
As we are showing with our pursuit of De Jong and prior to that Nunez, for now at least, we need a reality check that we will not get the star names or potential future stars that will rapidly improve us. We have to trust in Ten Hag. We will be back winning trophies eventually under his management. And I am sure we will be exciting to watch too. But it will take time. In the meantime good players will continue to go to our rivals.
10 Jul 2022 14:21:58
Ken, if the manager wants Fdj, which he clearly does, then that's fantastic and we should try to sign him. However, as you aptly and succinctly put it when I mentioned Rice the following apply to Fdj :
1 According to Laporta, fdj is not for sale.
2 he has never expressed an interest in joining united
3 he has never expressed an interest in leaving Barcelona
4 he is too expensive
5 he is a target but he's clearly not interested.
So, all the points you made re Rice, apply exactly to Fdj.
I just don't want to see another player being signed unless fully committed, and I'm sure you'll agree that Fdj isn't giving the vibes of someone who is itching to move to United.
10 Jul 2022 14:33:58
said before Rice wants Chelsea, if Chelsea want Rice who isn't signing a new contract then why would Chelsea go above 50 mill as opening bid, they don't need to do they? Every month that goes by he is a step closer to being a free agent. there would be no bidding auction for him.
10 Jul 2022 14:57:48
Let's wait n see AAA let's wait and see.
Fdj is for sale
He has said he wants united before Chelsea
But let's wait and see.
You appear to be the oracle so I'll bow to your greater knowledge.
Rice wants to go to Chelsea he will go to Chelsea.
Our manager has shown no interest in him what so ever but you want to force him on the manager.
Talking out of both sides of your mouth because you have criticised the club for doing that to previous managers.
But it's OK this time because you like rice.
No consistency from you.
{Ed014's Note - when did he tell you he wanted United before Chelsea mate?
10 Jul 2022 15:44:20
He didn't tell me as you know ed014.
It's been reported just as its been reported he turned down united.
I don't believe either necessarily but it's as likely 1 is as true as the other.
{Ed014's Note - ???
10 Jul 2022 16:17:11
It's a real weird one. They want him out but don't want to pay what they owe him is what it looks like to me. They provably want united to pay that too.
I would imagine they are sticking at it bedbugs he has indicated he will come if he gets his money.
Barcelona was an ownership m odel lots of our fans thought was a good one.
No model works if its run badly imo.
10 Jul 2022 18:14:35
It’s obvious that Barcelona are trying to milk us for every penny and it seems they are definitely wanting us to pay his deferred wages. They must know they are absolutely skint so it’s a case of who blinks first. If we get FDJ (which I personally don’t think we will) it’ll be last chuck in’s of the window I reckon.
10 Jul 2022 20:20:56
Shappy in what world is neves in any way similar to De Jong as a player.
10 Jul 2022 21:28:43
Caolan, try watching them. They are both passers, players who play with intelligence and movement rather than physicality. They move the ball and help control the tempo. Both have a good shot if they get forward but rarely do.
Both tend to play in the heart of midfield (No.6 or No.8) and like to drop back to pick the ball up off the defence before turning and progressing the ball forward. Both good dribblers, but tend to just use that skill to break the first line of pressure before passing the ball off rather than go on long mazy dribbles.
Neither are combative defensive midfielders, but still do a fair amount of defensive work by making space and stepping out to intercept the ball if the chance is there, rather than chasing the ball like a mad dog chucking in hard tackles.
I think that quantifies them as fairly similar.
11 Jul 2022 00:50:41
Watched neves plenty shappy, he’s in no way similar to De Jong ?. For starters I’m not sure I’ve ever seen neves beat a man.
11 Jul 2022 08:04:45
They are not similar at all.