14 Sep 2026 15:13:14
Looking at yesterday and our inability to break down City's defence one cannot help but consider that despite the fact that they splashed out a record £450m+ this summer City's net spend was only around £40m more than us without counting the obligation for Spurs to complete the purchase of Marmoush. They spent lavishly on Anderson, Enzo and Bouaddi, establishing a top quality midfield for the next 5 years. City raised £300m from selling players, while we were virtually unable to sell anyone. The one major sale, at an overall loss on the purchase price, was the Hojlund obligation negotiated last year.
On the final day they acquired N'diaye who is without doubt better than either of the two full backs we had on the field yesterday. In fact I'd say he looked at least as good as Hall. Why weren't we considering him? Why on earth didn't we try to sell the useless Dalot? It would have been all profit.
Berrada set a goal of winning the title by next year. How on earth does the club expect to achieve that end if they cannot, or will not spend what's required to get the best players and manager in? One might argue that at least they payers we've been bringing in are better than they were under Woodward, but have we yet shown any real ambition to be much more than an upper middle of the division club?
Words are cheap. Top players are not.
We all know the problems they face with the debt and an inherited group of players who seem to be unmarketable given the amount we paid for them and/or their high salaries. But that said, the reality is that the club's actions do not mirror their words. The only way out of this double bind is for the club to be recapitalized so that it's no longer hindered by debt. But are they going to do that either by selling up or investing more cash? Or is the real estate of more importance than the football club they purport to be bringing back into contention? Ineos is also heavily debt laden and struggling so my guess is Ratcliffe has little to no capacity to invest any more.
As I noted below the women's team is also going downhill. So, until the club's actions match their platitudinous words, as far as I'm concerned we're just being fobbed off with lies. The banner yesterday sums it up: "The way you treat us is a disgrace."
{Ed001's Note - Ndiaye is not a full-back.
14 Sep 2026 16:34:53
We had the chance to buy Elliot Anderson and were very much in the race. The simple reality is that we didn't want to spend the £100m it would have taken to get him at the time.
Instead, we spent £85m on Santos, who couldn't even get off the bench yesterday, and Tielemans, who is okay. That's it, just okay.
The old saying couldn't be more true: if you buy cheap, you buy twice. The "best in class" people running the club are replacing our players by gambling on cheaper, slightly worse alternatives, rather than going after the top-quality talent that's actually needed to compete.
It's been said before, but just look at INEOS' record at Nice.
Their transfer policy shifted away from heavy spending towards a more value-driven recruitment model based on lower individual transfer fees and finding bargains. How did that work out? A slow decline season after season, narrowly surviving relegation last year, and now sitting 19th on two points.
I'm saying it now: things will only get worse under INEOS. This idea that you can continuously replace quality with "good value" signings is fine if your ambition is survival. If your ambition is competing for titles, eventually the drop in quality catches up with you. At the current rate, we'll be fighting to survive long before we're fighting for a title.
14 Sep 2026 17:23:56
£85m on Santos? What are you talking about, we paid £48m for him.
He is a player of great promise. He was pretty much the best player in pre-season. He needs a bit of patience and obviously more playing time.
It's not easy, as a youngster coming straight into the 1st team. Remember Senne last year. Let's let him settle.
14 Sep 2026 17:31:23
I don't think we ever had a chance at signing Anderson. Forest would have liked a bidding war to drive the price up, but I don't think, for a single second, that he would have considered us when City was an option.
Same with Semenyo, who was fantastic yesterday. We tried to sign him, but didn't stand a chance when City showed interest.
There was a time when players like Anderson and Semenyo would be delighted to come here. When United had their pick of the best players at most other EPL clubs.
Those days are gone. We're not contenders, and have to make do with what the likes of City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and even Chelsea aren't bothered with.
This means that we need smart signings. Ones that can push us closer to competing with City and Arsenal for titles. After finishing third, we had a chance to close the gap on City, who changed manager and lost their most important player. On the evidence of yesterday, we've completely botched that opportunity.
14 Sep 2026 17:41:28
Anderson wanted to go to the kings of Manchester. Why would he come to us, the court jesters of Manchester.
14 Sep 2026 17:52:50
IWOTB, I'm well aware of what we paid for him. I was clearly talking about the £85m combined outlay on Santos and Tielemans. But thanks for volunteering to fact-check the sentence you misunderstood.
14 Sep 2026 18:28:59
Buying players like Yoro Heaven Santos is pointless unless you are going to play them. These players won't kick on if they aren't getting the experience. Yoro signed as a wonder kid, for a high fee, beating Madrid to the signature, and he can't get in ahead of Maguire, who shouldn't be playing. Trust the youth if you're going to sign them.
14 Sep 2026 18:43:57
You can only sell players, or indeed anything, if someone wants to buy them!
We have so much overpaid dross that we'll never sell any of them!
Who would you genuinely sign from United if you were in charge of any club in the Premier League?
14 Sep 2026 18:56:22
You have no idea if Madrid was genuine about Yoro. Seeing him play, I would say that was hogwash; far too weak for the EPL and he has not kicked on at all, gone backwards. Certainly would even put Maguire in front of him or Heaven every day of the week.
We've got a poor team, a poor manager, and I am not over-ecstatic with the coaching team. The play is far too slow and methodical, and it does not help buying players who have no pace whatsoever like Tielemans.
Santos looks no better. Looks like we are again pinning our hopes on another kid, Baleba. Quite how he plays in midfield with Bruno and Mainoo, I have no idea, but sure our top-class manager will figure it out. We keep buying potential, and that potential sits on the bench, but it's ok, we saved a few quid.
14 Sep 2026 15:40:42
Thanks ed, I thought I was going mad or I'd od"ed on morphine.
14 Sep 2026 16:52:38
Okay Ed. missed that. Thought he was playing as a back yesterday.
Kurtis, Santos cost us £48+ 2m add ons apparently. But I agree. Yes, we've been on the "there's no value in the market place" thing now since SAF towed the Glazer line by using that as an excuse not to invest what was required to reinvigorate our midfield. Having then gone into a period of overpaying for mediocrity and seriously aggravating the debt bind, we're now back to not being able or willing to invest what's needed.
It's hard to see any upside from a supporter's point of view.
14 Sep 2026 21:36:38
Newname, you say Glazers don't want to invest. But could they? Can an owner just put his own money into transfers? I think, with FFP rules, that's not possible, but happy to be corrected if I am wrong.
14 Sep 2026 22:34:33
They can invest in the stadium. You know, the one with more leaks than there are leeks in Wales?
15 Sep 2026 02:13:36
I know they can invest in the stadium. The conversation was about transfers, that's why I asked.
15 Sep 2026 03:22:17
They can pay off the debt, and then the club can use the interest money saved to invest in the team. So yes.
15 Sep 2026 11:13:15
I think frailties and uncertainty in defence, in Dalot and Dorgu, unnerved the whole team and tended to sap confidence. Why couldn't we have played Yoro and Heaven, who are both athletic and would run all night? Dorgu has promise, though not as a defender. Dalot is a poor player, defensively in his decision-making, and offensively. It's such a pity that these glaringly obvious weaknesses were not addressed during the transfer window. It seems that those influential people at the club either ignored this, or are not aware of it, which is more than a little worrying.