11 Jun 2026 18:31:05
Lot of talk on here and elsewhere about Anderson.
Big shoes to compare to but if he was to be as good or very close to Keane then he would be worth every penny of £130m.
More saliently, I think not having a recognised top manager in place hinders Utd at times like this.
With Pep leaving, any potential City signing must have some doubts about signing for them. Imagine if we had a Fergie or Klopp type manager at the helm.
One who commanded respect for their achievements and had charisma too. I bet they would have a significantly better chance of signing Anderson than Carrick does.
I have no idea of how much money Utd really have to spend, but if the war chest allows and Carrick wants him then why not go to Forest "we will pay you the £130m". Sends a big message to the player that we value him and all players want to feel they are wanted.
11 Jun 2026 18:43:31
I think Keane is size 10, fairly average.
11 Jun 2026 18:54:55
Anything above 100M is an overpayment, honestly. Declan Rice was two times more influential when he moved. And, in any case, if we are going to Forest, I would rather we spend on Gibbs-White. Bruno isn't getting any younger, and we have no reliable prospect in that position.
11 Jun 2026 19:02:33
Salford, the player, through his representatives, by all accounts, has told United he doesn't want to go to us.
So what's the point in offering 130m?
I agree totally, if we were in the position they were in with Pep, or when we had Fergie, players wanted to play for them.
I thought Pep leaving might sway things in our favour, but he seems adamant about his choice.
If he has said yes to us, we would pay Forest.
But he doesn't want United, that's the only determining factor.
People can argue all day today if he's worth the money, but nobody will know the answer to that for 3 or 4 years.
11 Jun 2026 20:23:18
For an up-and-coming midfielder, I would have thought being coached by a formerly excellent midfielder such as Carrick would be very attractive.
11 Jun 2026 22:17:28
Danny, luv it.
He may have expressed a preference for City when Pep was there, but now who knows?
Unruly, if it were possible, I would get both Gibbs White and Anderson. Alas, it's not, and I think £120m+ price tag is crazy, but it's the market rate.
That said, there must surely be equally as good players abroad who we could get for a lot less money. I want our scouts to find them.
MancMan, I agree, but being coached by Pep is another level or two.
11 Jun 2026 22:27:44
Salford, I really want Anderson, but I have come around to the probability that we simply aren't in the upper echelon of football currently and therefore cannot be in the market for the top tier players. Last season's window, albeit our best for some time, was not tier 1 players coming through.
We have so many past mistakes, compounded mistakes, to reverse, that we cannot go and spend whatever we want on individuals until those errors have been corrected.
Next season might be the one that we go all out and sprinkle the final pieces onto the puzzle. This season we need volume through the doors.
We are going from 40 games to 60 games a season. That's a big jump for our squad, some of which are made of glass.
12 Jun 2026 07:50:06
Salford,
I agree on the manager, but everyone would know that. I do think wanting to play for someone with the profile of a Pep or SAF has a pull. Did Maresca win the Club World Cup with Chelsea? No matter how anyone frames it, Carrick has very little profile to sell to a player. Players want to win things, and right now who do they think will do that, Maresca or Carrick? I bet most would go with City, because Carrick has shown nothing. Yes, people will jump up and down, but it's obvious. We have to move on with Carrick, that's where we are. In terms of who Carrick wants, is he Head Coach, not Manager? I strongly suspect he will have a say on the positions, but decisions will be made above him, and the financials will be a driver, like it or not.
Again, I believe the Glazers will require the club to show profit so a dividend can be taken. I suspect that would rule out Anderson even if he wanted to come to us, although TW insists he wants City.
I suspect we will shop at a lower level and still have to pay big money. Any road, it's a results business, and what we buy will reflect in next season's results.
It's not just midfield. I was interested to see Hall at Newcastle mentioned. It looks a good move for him and us.
I don't see much about a forward, we only have Sesko, and forwards don't come cheap, not young ones anyway.
We would be more attractive for players with a more respected manager, I agree with you, but the club have to deal with that now they've made their decision.
12 Jun 2026 07:57:57
I wonder if we had any players Forest would be interested in?
For some kind of player-plus-cash deal?
Onana?
Ugarte?
Amad seems quite 'Forest-esque'?
Mount?
Zirkzee?
12 Jun 2026 08:07:16
Downsie,
Persuading any players from United to go to a side in Forrest, who will be battling relegation, even more so when Anderson leaves, would be a huge task.
12 Jun 2026 09:49:54
I think United are done trying to sign players that need to be convinced to move to the club. Love it.
If Anderson wants City, let him on.
12 Jun 2026 10:14:35
Redman, it's not a case of me insisting Anderson wants City. Every single reputable and non-reputable media source is reporting the same.
Stop trying to push a narrative on Anderson that doesn't exist.
He wants City, who knows for what reason.
Who has the better chance of winning the league or CL over the next 2 seasons, United or City?
Who has the better squad?
Personally, I don't see City being as dominant without Pep, but Semenyo did, Anderson does.
I think if Anderson had chosen us we would have bought him. No proof, just what I think. To suggest it's me insisting he wants City is daft. It's reported by everybody, but you believe what you want.
12 Jun 2026 12:39:50
Utd put it out there that Anderson was our priority for most of the season. If his choice of Man City is true, with everything going on there, it shows that our recruiting team have failed to sell our project to Anderson above a Man City project that is as weak as it has ever been. Pep gone, charges imminent, other stars jumping ship.
I am not only concerned about Anderson. I am more concerned that the club allowed these rumors to circulate all season, and then have either walked away because he chose them over us, or because we are not prepared to pay what looks like a pretty obvious market price.
I do think he is a top player, and, with home grown tax, Forest are not being completely unreasonable. I think many prices will be inflated this summer, and we always pay high prices.
Long way to go in the window, time for this management team to go to work and bring in some gems. Fernandes and Scott could be the route we go, both are excellent players, getting the blend that will fit well in the team is the important part.
12 Jun 2026 13:04:57
That's fair DB to an extent.
I'm not sure 120m+ is the market price. Nobody has ever paid it before.
Imo it's too expensive and I really wanted him to come to United. I don't think we are in a position to splash that on 1 largely unproven player.
He has been hyped up to an extent that is ott by the British media.
Imo he has a lot to prove.
Plus he wants to go to City, so that's really the end of it.
We chased Shearer and failed. We chased Ronaldinho and failed. We chased Vvd and failed. The list goes on and on.
We need to move on as a club and as fans, and stop wishing for what might have been. It's pointless.
The king is dead. Long live the new king. Only way to answer is sign someone else and keep improving and moving forward.
12 Jun 2026 13:58:47
It has been a while, folks.
Finally, the club is showing some discipline, and no matter how much we like a player, we do not value him for what they want. City quietly gets away with overpaying for a ton of players year after year. Eventually, it will catch up to them, and it reminds me of ourselves. I don't think it has anything to do with not being able to afford him. By the time it's all said and done, we will spend close to 300 mill imo excluding outgoings, that is, so net spend will be lower.
Same group that clamour about we should spend the money and get him will be the first to criticize the club, owner, manager when they turn out to be a gross overspend.
Him not coming has nothing to do with Carrick imo. He decided a while ago he wants to go to City, and they will pay what Forest wants. We walked away from the Baleba deal last year and look very smart for it now.
Good luck to Anderson at City, and let's focus on getting the West Ham kid in and move on to other targets.
They all get tagged with being generational talents after one great season. A couple of seasons later, people realize most are good players, but far from the early label.
There are so many now floating around between various leagues in Europe who got that tag.
12 Jun 2026 15:26:55
Tw
Perhaps "insists" was too strong a word. You are saying Anderson wants City, so fair enough.
Interesting you mentioned Ronaldinho, he didn't choose someone else. Kenyon messed up when it was all lined up.
12 Jun 2026 15:32:06
Fergie messed up with Gazza... Should he have resigned?
12 Jun 2026 15:58:50
JSU
Did SAF mess up Gazza or was Gazza just not right in the head.
My prior point on another thread was about Wilcox, and Berrada must get decisions right, that's what they are paid big money for.
12 Jun 2026 18:24:43
I would just like our management team to go get who we think will put us back to the top. We have an opening for a first team midfielder, and that will cost money. We have Mainoo, who is likely a mainstay, so we need the missing piece to get the most from him.
If that person was Fernandes all along then all is good with the world. Go pay what we need to pay and get him. I just don't want us to become cheap in the market for a key piece that we absolutely need. We need to win. The management team needs to deliver a winning team.