09 Jul 2026 05:52:26
I'll say it now, I have a feeling that Andrey Santos will end up being our best signing this summer.
I know a lot of fans are underwhelmed by his signing, they were also underwhelmed when we signed Senne Lammens instead of Emi Martinez last summer.
Andrey Santos for me is exactly the kind of player we should be signing. Strong, mobile, technically gifted midfielder who works incredibly hard both on and off the ball.
As as player you can place him in the same category as Anderson and Mateus Fernandes in terms of style of play.
As for the nonsense arguement about his limited game time at Chelsea. He had two 100m+ midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order in Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. While cost shouldn't dictate starting positions at a club, we all know that they do. The media fallout when a club picks another player to start regularly over a 100m player makes it almost impossible for a manager to do so. However, in the case of Santos one of the most surprising things is that the performance levels of that Chelsea midfield didn't drop off at all when the young Santos stepped in for either of those 100m players.
Effectively that means that despite his young age, he was matching the performance levels of more experienced and far more expensive players. That screams value for money in the transfer market. If Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are worth 100m and Santos is every bit as good as them when he plays then surely he's worth around the same (especially given his youth and the potential to improve and get even better), yet we are getting a potentially 100m player for 50m. That's an absolute bargain, especially in this current market.
Chelsea also weren't looking to sell him, and wanted to keep him, especially with Real Madrid lurking for Enzo Fernandez. Yet they agreed to let him leave as he asked to leave as he wanted to play regularly. He isn't the kind of young player who gets a big move and paid big wages and is happy to rest on his laurels, sit back and watch the money roll in. He has a hunger, a drive, a determination to play. He has the right attitude, and that is something that we have sorely needed in recent years.
I'm really happy with this signing, and I genuinely believe that in 6 months time we'll all be saying what a masterstroke this move was and how we pulled Chelsea's pants down.
09 Jul 2026 07:07:45
Honestly, Shappy, I can't believe some people are writing off our new signings without them even playing for the club.
09 Jul 2026 07:39:07
Mh, they are ignorant and don't have a clue what they're talking about.
The time to judge is in 6 months' time. Nobody knows how they will do.
09 Jul 2026 07:51:31
I'm actually pretty happy with this signing. He's young, he's got great technical ability, and he's got a great work rate. And I think he's really good value at that price. I'm also quite pleased that we've nicked a really talented player from a Premier League rival and weakened them for next season, since other teams around us will almost certainly be stronger.
I still think we will sign another midfielder this summer, probably Carlos Baleba, since he is clearly very talented despite a poor season just gone, but now that we have signed two midfielders, we can afford to play hard ball with Brighton over the fee. Maybe we really have got people in charge that know what they're doing.
Ederson, Santos and Baleba would be a pretty solid and comprehensive midfield rebuild. I still worry that we will struggle to close the gap on the top clubs next season, but there is certainly huge potential for these three players to keep getting better year after year.
Arsenal will obviously be strong again, especially if they add Guimaraes and Rogers this summer. City will certainly have a great squad, especially if they manage to keep Rodri, and I expect Maresca will be successful there, having worked there previously.
Liverpool will probably be stronger too, with Wirtz and Isak probably having a much greater impact, although their defense must be a concern. Spurs can't get any worse, otherwise Fernandes will be staring down a third relegation. But they have a talented and ambitious new coach, and they have added a genuinely top class midfielder in Tonali and another with incredibly high potential in Fernandes. That, along with Van Hecke, Senesi and Robertson, and any further signings they might make, combined with only having domestic football to focus on, will surely see them improve.
Overall, whilst it is very early doors, I think we might struggle to match a top 3 finish this season, but if we can finish top 4/5, whilst getting into the Champions League knockouts and competing in the cups, that would show that this United team is moving in the right direction. It will be a big change playing potentially 50-60 games in all comps next season for many players in that squad, so dealing with that and still finishing top 4/5 would be a real step forward.
09 Jul 2026 07:58:32
Depends whether Santos is the main signing for midfield tbh. A Chelsea reserve who we have been rumoured to have been interested in for a while. £50m seems a lot for his profile. Happy to see what he can do, but if he is the main signing, I will be underwhelmed.
He certainly is better than what we have in CM, but doesn't propel us up there. Decent and has potential. Guimaraes is listed at £60m, although he is 28.
I see that Touchameni was using us as expected for an improved contract.
I still hope we sign Alex Scott.
{Ed001's Note - you should go and read the Chelsea site, none of them are happy to lose Santos.}
09 Jul 2026 10:14:19
If 50m is a lot for his profile, then Fernandes is a complete rip off for his when Santos is the better player with the better profile and higher ceiling.
Big names fail sometimes. Sometimes potential is not reached.
We don't know how they will do, but Santos has every chance and as equal a chance of succeeding at United as Fernandes had.
09 Jul 2026 10:15:57
Thanks Ed
Haven't seen enough of him and hope he does well. Am not adverse at all to Santos but really think we also need someone who has done it more notably in a main league.
In terms of Chelsea fans, interesting, maybe indicates a good move, especially if Ederson deal has any doubt. There again. What were they like when they sold us Mason Mount?
Do you have any knowledge as yet on Ederson, are there any issues on the medical, given rumours there are?
{Ed001's Note - I have not heard of any issues, but I have not been about much at all the last few days as my godkids were in town.}
09 Jul 2026 10:22:20
Don't understand how anyone can objectively be against any signing until they pull on a shirt and play a few games.
They may (or may not) be setting the world alight at their current clubs and may (or may not) flourish in a new setting.
Give the poor kids a chance to prove themselves before dragging them down!
09 Jul 2026 10:29:17
Happy with the signing too, in the sense that what else can the club do if our main targets (Anderson/Fernandes) go elsewhere. They have to go down their list and sign someone else.
I think "this is exactly the type of signing we should be going for" is a bit of a stretch, lol.
2 days ago, no one was mentioning Santos as a target, lol.
I also slightly question the fee. Chelsea signed him for £17m, and after a couple of loans and a season understudying Caicedo, his value has trebled, lol, but it is what it is.
09 Jul 2026 12:54:23
Ed001, that tells me a lot more. I know quite a few Chelsea fans and none of them are happy that this guy has been sold. They all thought very highly of him.
I haven't watched much of him but as i said in a post earlier this week, 5/5 signings last year were very good and I trust the people at the top scouting and buying these players that they know what they are doing. Last summer's window has bought them that time and patience.
But many posters on here just want to moan all the time. They are like broken records