01 Jul 2026 02:04:31
Truth be told, if United had thrown a bid in, West Ham would have been rubbing their hands together hoping for a bidding war.
That is exactly the trap we need to stop walking into. The minute Manchester United show serious interest, the price goes mad, every club thinks they can squeeze another £10–20 million out of us, and suddenly we are back to being the desperate club everyone takes advantage of.
Fernandes may turn out to be a very good player, but £85 million is crazy money. We have spent years complaining that United overpay, panic buy and get bullied in the market. So when the club finally refuses to be dragged into an inflated auction, we can't then complain that they didn't bend over and pay whatever West Ham wanted.
For me, we need players who actually want Manchester United and make that known. Players who see Old Trafford as the dream, not just another option while their agent waits to see who offers the biggest package.
That is the mentality we should be looking for now: hunger, desire, character and value. Not just talent with a ridiculous price tag attached.
We absolutely need midfielders. No argument there. But we need the right midfielders at the right price, not another deal where everyone laughs at United for paying over the odds again.
So no, I'm not upset we didn't pay £85 million.
For once, maybe United showed a bit of sense and walked away before the circus started.
01 Jul 2026 06:43:06
But if every club adds a United tax to a player we want, you can't keep walking away or we will get nobody.
Sometimes you have to pay a premium for the right player. I personally don't think Fernandes is that player, but somebody like Anderson was.
01 Jul 2026 06:57:05
Remember we paid stupid money for a few players. 85m is no longer really stupid money.
Well, it is, but the way things are, it's fast becoming peanuts.
01 Jul 2026 08:41:37
Reddevil, 100 percent to that post.
01 Jul 2026 10:58:48
Fallguy
1. Did Elliot Anderson show any desire to come to United? No, so off he went.
2. If he had been interested to come to Utd, you can bet Forest would have held on for 130+ upfront. We don't have the luxury of Saudi money, and the excuse that 115 charges has limited our finances.
01 Jul 2026 12:10:58
Fallguy,
You know why we pay United tax? Because clubs know we have historically just coughed up whatever amount they say. It's not United tax, it's just teams knowing we are desperate. The only way to change that is to stop doing it. I'm delighted we've not paid £85m for Fernandes, it's not like he's gone to a rival, "it's only Spurs".
01 Jul 2026 20:14:01
Great response, GDS, and exactly correct. There was never a United tax during the Ferguson years. It's that simple. If you can create a bad image, you can recover from it as well. It takes time and consistency.