31 Aug 2026 10:55:13
Less than 38 hours left of the transfer window and I wonder if we will see much more movement at Manchester United.
On one hand the signings of Baleba, Tielemans and Santos have massive improved and strengthened our midfield, which was the primary aim this window.
However, there is still a feeling that the club could and maybe even should be doing more.
Obviously we are in an actual squad rebuild, rather than the repatch that we really have endured over the last decade or so. As such there will always be more work to be done, so in that regard no transfer window will really feel fully satisfying.
Yet the club have clearly explored and even attempted to bring in more players, so it's not a lack of knowledge of what we need or even ambition.
I think the club have a new philosophy around transfers, and as fans we need to accept that comes with both benefits and drawbacks.
We don't seem to be a club fixated on one particular player to the point where we massively over pay to bring them in. We seem to have a clear plan for who we want, as well as potential alternatives if the first choice doesn't pan out. Yet, that list of alternatives doesn't appear to be endless; where we just keep going further and further down the list just to make sure we sign someone (anyone).
Which is a double edged sword. On one hand it means we don't sign players who aren't good enough, while on the other hand it can mean that sometimes we won't sign anyone for a position of need.
Last season we were short of options in midfield and we had to muddle through. We had tried to sign Baleba towards the end of the window, but a deal couldn't be agreed and the club chose not to bring in someone cheaper/less suited/further down the list of options. But instead chose to wait until this summer to get their no.1 target.
I think we will see something similar this season with left back. The club clearly wants Lewis Hall, but he isn't available this summer. The club could sign an alternative, but they seem to be choosing not to. Maybe they feel the gap in quality/suitability between their first and second choice is too big to consider spending significantly on them this summer just to get someone in.
I mean if you took a statistical approach and found the Lewis Hall was a 99% fit to your ideal left back profile, but the second choice option was only a 82% for to the ideal profile. Then does it make sense to spend potentially 40m+ on that second choice option?
The saying buy cheap buy twice has some semblance here, but really it's about only spending on players who are the right fit. No more square pegs for round holes.
We also have some options within the squad to cover for a lack of a LB signing. Options of Shaw, Dorgu and Amass give us some flexibility, and reduce the need to spend on a lesser quality "back up" option.
Would you rather spend on the second choice this summer, only to find them not quite good enough. Leading to you either having to spend big again next summer to replace at the cost of not being able to sign a player needed on another position, or sign that player and accept that we will have to live with a substandard LB for the next couple of seasons.
The club made the right call with Baleba last season, hopefully they are making the right call again this summer with Hall.
The only position I see is signing someone now is striker. I expect to see Zirkzee leave for Italy, and I think the club will try to bring in a younger striker. Someone who has the potential to challenge Sesko, but isn't quite a direct rival yet due to a lack of seniority. The most similar signings I can think of is when we signed Chicharito. A talented young, slightly less proven player, who could step up in time, but is really here to make up the numbers initially.
Who that is who knows, we've been linked with Tresoldi and Matanovic in recent days, they seem like the right sort of level of signing. Young, talented, high potential, but not yet proven to the point where they become 50m+ players.
That is the only business I can see is completing in terms of incomings, hopefully we manage to shift a few more players out the door and continue the clearing of the decks.
31 Aug 2026 14:12:54
If the deals don't make financial sense, and we don't get our first or even second choices, it's best to use what we have. Dorgu is more than competent to play lb if needed. As is Mazaroui. Amass might stay and come of age. Who knows.
I do agree our defence is weak, and we really ought not to play another season with one striker.
31 Aug 2026 14:28:58
And, for a bit of fun, ChatGPT is calling Amass and Dorgu as left-back cover until we buy Hall next summer, and Sorloth coming in if Zirkzee heads to Juve.
31 Aug 2026 15:05:28
I don't see any signings coming in now. Which is frustrating, given the lack of talent in the defence, added to our rivals for the top 4/5 adding good signings (on paper).
And also, don't see Zirkzee moving, think he's turned down Fiorentina.
But nothing we can do about it; we just have to get on with it and hope the club know what they are doing. I personally think it will come back and bite them on the rear end, but time will tell.
31 Aug 2026 15:06:36
Totally fair to wait out a window and sign your number 1 target the next window, but pretty inexcusable to go into a potentially 50+ game with 1 experienced left back who is proven to be injury prone.
1.) Dalot and Maz can play there? So, are we saying the way we play doesn't benefit from having a natural left-footed player at left back? I doubt it.
2.) Dorgu or Amass can play. Carrick has shown he doesn't think Dorgu is a left back, and Amass has been rumoured to be sold back to the Championship.
Stop-gap or loan signing needed, in my opinion, to at least provide cover and play EFL Cup games.
31 Aug 2026 16:45:26
Rock and a hard place, but keep Zirkzee as back up No9 or loan Sorloth?
31 Aug 2026 16:49:43
I have a big problem with comparing last season to this season.
Last season we coped with limited midfield options because we only had to play one game a week. The drop off in team performance when Casemiro was off the pitch was massive.
Unless you expect us to drop out of every cup competition, we can't muddle through with one left back.
Shaw is injury prone, getting older, and tbh looks a bit off pace despite not going to the WC.
Amass isn't ready to play at the top level, and Dorgu isn't a defender. At that point we're relying on right backs to cover Shaw, and that's a massive concern.
01 Sep 2026 01:48:00
I sort of understand the point you are trying to make, but it's likely Shaw is gone at the end of this season. Dorgu ain't a lb, Amass seems to not be rated, and if he's loaned this season I believe he has one year left on his deal, so will prob be sold, and then there's Leon, who could be anything or nothing...
I wouldn't say spending 34m on Raum or 14m on Salinas is a waste of money, both are release clauses as well. If Hall is indeed #1 target next summer, you'd either have an experienced player for him, or rotate with a more defensive lb to rotate with, who has a different profile and can play cb.