08 Aug 2022 09:54:53
Adrien Rabiot is this morning's link. Reported by Ornstein though, who is usually fairly spot on.
Another with an attitude problem and an agent who loves the limelight.
Interestingly, we are starting to get linked with £20m players. Has ETH decided the squad is so poor/ light thaT he'd be better off with four £20m signings than one at £80m? Interesting week ahead.
08 Aug 2022 10:19:19
Hope neither is true. Would be better off with neves and take a risk on the young kid from salzburg, although i suspect he will find it difficult and will need time and probably will get slammed here as the pl is a tough school for a 19 year old from austrian league.
08 Aug 2022 11:00:49
I'm hoping the Rabiot and Arnautovic rumours don't lead anywhere. Both decent players, better than what we have, but neither look good enough for where we want to go and both have had attitude issues in the past.
Given our dressing room issues we need players with good attitudes, ideally players with EPL experience as we need players who will get to grips with the league immediately and not take half a season to acclimatise.
Fabian Ruiz would have been a great option, but given his impending move to PSG it looks like that boat has sailed.
Ruben Neves gets a lot of love and I wouldn't be against it, that said he would likely cost MORE than FDJ.
Matheus Nunes seems to be the hipsters pick, always seemed a gifted player when I've seen him. Although personally I think he's more suited to a box to box role than as a holding midfielder.
Youri Tielemans is probably the player I'd target, EPL experience and available for a reasonable price. While also probably being closer to the skillset EtH seems to be looking for in a midfielder (technically gifted, mobile, quick, press resistant, with an expansive passing range) .
Up front Sesko is the name that keeps being linked. Supposedly a talented player from everything I seen written about him. Only seen him in a UCL group game last season. Looked decent but didn't really stand out at that level at the time. Maybe by the time he's 22 he'll be considered world class. But we need a player who can make a difference this season not in 2-3 years time.
Mitrovic has been mentioned and I wouldn't be against it, seems a much better player now to the one who was in the EPL previously. Although he would likely cost a lot.
The EPL striker I'd go for would be Ivan Toney. works hard, presses well, good technical level linking well with teammates, and has a clinical finish when in front of goal. He looks very well suited to EtH's style of play. Again though cost could be prohibitive.
Both Mitrovic and Toney would likely cost upward of 40-50m as they are vital in their sides fight for EPL survival this season. Which is a lot of money to pay for a striker who won't necessarily be a long term first choice option.
Which leads me to Moussa Dembele of Lyon, proven scorer decent link play, good technical striker, good in the air and on the floor. While entering the final year of his contract and would be available for under 30m.
For me if you cannot get your first choice option then you cannot be paying top whack for your 2nd or 3rd choice compromise options.
If FDJ isn't going to happen and Ronaldo is determined to leave then maybe Tielemans and Dembele for less than what FDJ would cost initially let alone in total are probably the smartest moves available to the club.
08 Aug 2022 11:33:42
Shappy come on mate both are average. and one is a complete racist
If we do end up with the 2 players above then we have well and truly fell off. what are we actually trying to accomplish buying cheap mediocre players that would get a sniff in any other top 6 side never mind the top 4 or a team wanting to win trophies.
08 Aug 2022 12:06:56
Arnautovic can stay in Italy. Why we’re targeting him is beyond me. Rabiot I’d take for the reported low fee but only IF he is not the alternative to De Jong.
Adding Rabiot and Tielemens/ Neves would improve our midfield but it’s surely not the route we want to be taking?
As Shappy has said, Ruiz would’ve been a decent alternative but he’s off to PSG. I can see us getting Rabiot and going for SMS late in the window. I’m certainly not against Savic as he’s better than what we have.
08 Aug 2022 12:33:06
Bolger, This is literally the first line of my post:
"I'm hoping the Rabiot and Arnautovic rumours don't lead anywhere. Both decent players, better than what we have, but neither look good enough for where we want to go and both have had attitude issues in the past".
All I have said is they are better than what we have.
I don't want them, I don't think they are good enough and their attitudes stink.
08 Aug 2022 12:42:13
A lot of reports now saying that we’ve agreed a deal for Rabiot. Looks like the pursuit of De Jong is finally over.
08 Aug 2022 13:07:19
I don’t actually think either are better than what we have
Shappy you just said in that last paragraph I don’t think they are good enough but yet you also said they are decent players ?♂️
Not making a dig shappy but these types of players if we are to actually show some ambition on wanting to win are not the players we go for
No wonder ronaldo wants to leave. 0 ambition the club is a shadow of its former self
Play Iqbal or savage play McNeil or ganarcho use the players within and development them if your not going to spend money on a ready made player now
Stop the short term stop gaps it’s not how you produce a winning team
If rabiot is an alternate to de jong then this is a joke of window tbh.
08 Aug 2022 13:15:58
Rabiot is 27 and is a very good player. His technique is miles ahead of McFred. He'd be a major upgrade. He's not a backup player at Juve. He's a starter for all his time there. Arnautovic would be signed as a squad player. Not ideal but he did really well with Bologna last year. Don't get the doom and gloom about those two.
08 Aug 2022 13:32:19
MA is 33 years old and would be just as inept at pressing as Ronaldo. I’d rather we brought through a youngster or signed somebody like Sesko than drop £10m+ on a stop gap player who doesn’t fit the manager’s system. We really should have signed Darwin when we had the chance….
08 Aug 2022 13:44:04
don we already have an abuser at the club we don't want a racist aswell
if they don't want to pay the money and get a striker to help score goals and you know maybe win something then just promote a player from the youth and work with him
this window has clearly become about the owners not wanting to pay the money for players.
08 Aug 2022 13:50:20
Rabiot I can just about get my head round. Although he’s moody and far from what we need. Arnautovic I’m literally dumbfounded. I reckon he must think all his Christmases have come at once. He’s nothing special and won’t be the kind of player to dig out blind for you, he’s also got dubious morals and he isn’t what we need at Old Trafford. I actually can’t believe we’re in for a player like him…………. panic and desperation spring to mind. We haven’t learnt a thing over the last 10 years. And I don’t care if ETH wants him or not. I’ve got eyes as have other fans, and he isn’t what we need.
08 Aug 2022 16:15:39
Sorry but perhaps i am missing something. Which players have the owners not paid up for or not willing to. hasn't the fee been agreed with Barcelona for quite some time now and that too in excess of 80M? So where is the issue with the owners here. Its literally EtH running the show here. All 3 signed have been his targets and all targetted are again his. don't get the hatred with the owners here.
08 Aug 2022 18:06:19
United it would quite glazer esk to bid
For a player who doesn’t want to join for them to then be able to turn around and say we tried getting de jong but instead we paid 15 million for rabiot.
08 Aug 2022 18:12:23
Bolger2 I wasn't aware of the racist allegations re Arnautovic. If true obviously we should steer clear.
08 Aug 2022 18:44:53
Dembele is terrible.
08 Aug 2022 19:38:15
Bolger2……exactly what I was thinking. Stick decent bids in for FDJ knowing full well he wants to stay where he is. Also stick a bid in for Anthony knowing full well it’s 20 million below their valuation. Gives the impression everything is hunky dory to shareholders. The club is skint in my view. The fees for Martinez and Malacia were offset by sales (albeit minimally) and would have been lumped on the debt anyway. No sign of the Glazers investing any of their own cash that’s for sure. And for the record, signing Arnautovic is a complete joke.
08 Aug 2022 20:11:23
RedWhiskey, he's decent without being outstanding. Even at that level he's better than Arnautovic as a footballer and almost certainly a better person.
08 Aug 2022 20:11:45
Rabiot is not good enough. Is decent but no more. Its no coincidence he can't settle and retain a first team place at the bigger clubs. As a squad member he is OK (and yes he is better than McFred) but he is not the calibre of player we should be looking to rebuild a teams midfield around.
08 Aug 2022 21:47:32
Good news, the Bologna president says Arnautovic is not for sale at any price. Let's hope he is a man of his word.
Another shambles of a transfer window for United, strangely reassuring.
09 Aug 2022 00:01:24
You can literally view the accounts if you want to, the club is not ‘skint’ and you’re embarrassing posting stuff like that.
09 Aug 2022 08:37:22
It’s the complete lack of anticipation and planning that is so troubling: United always so reactive….
Look at what RBL just done: sign Sesko in a year to replace outgoing Nkunko….
Appearing so panic-stricken now…
Surely a huge question mark over scouting also - hope analysts brought in can rectify this.