01 Jun 2024 20:04:32
Evening Ed. Hope you're having a good weekend.
Is there any truth that Bruno may leave if ETH also leaves? There are reports he is considering his future at United and this is dependent on him understanding the project and manager situation?
I know previously you mentioned some players who would leave depending if ETH stays, but this suggests he would leave if ETH leaves.
Obviously I'm taking this with a pinch of salt.
Feel free to delete my previous post, I clicked send by accident.
{Ed002's Note - Bruno Fernandes (AM) ME still beckons after an offer from Al Hilal was rejected by the player. Al-Nassr are willing to pay a premium fee to Manchester Unted and provide the player with significant compensation. A wildcard may be Bayern Munich who his agent approached - but they would not be interested if any significant fee was demanded. May well depart in the summer when there will be many changes or perhaps wait one more year. The club will not want him to leave, so they may need to offer a new contract. }
02 Jun 2024 14:57:38
I don't see it as an issue if he wants to leave.
The fee would be welcomed and despite being our major creative influence there are plenty of examples of teams flourishing after selling influential players.
Sometimes the team benefits.
As good a player as he has been the team has never excelled over a full season with him.
If he wants to chat the dollar in the middle east it would suggest to me that its right to let him go.
02 Jun 2024 15:46:31
Big fan of Bruno at his best. But agree he’s not irreplaceable if he wants to go. Probably justifiably fishing for a new contract, he’s the captain but I read he’s nowhere near a top earner at Utd and even Mount is on more.
02 Jun 2024 16:32:04
I do wonder if he's thinking I've done what I can at utd, and if a top cl club comes in for him he might be tempted as he's at that age that he's got one last top move. be interesting after euros anyway.
02 Jun 2024 19:48:29
Great first season, post that, not so much. I have no issue with him leaving, how he ever became captain is beyond me.
02 Jun 2024 20:38:56
If get 100 million for him, can fund signings like Jaoa Neves.
Need to start planning for the future, building a team that can challenge for the title in 3 years - and stay on top.
Not sure if Bruno part of that long term future.
We need to be ruthless, unsentimental and sell players at the right time.
This is what top clubs do, rather than hang onto players as they decline.
02 Jun 2024 20:43:37
But when’s the last time a team full of kids without experience won anything serious? Needs the mixture IMO.
02 Jun 2024 20:53:55
We’re not getting anywhere near that amount for Fernandes Wallace.
02 Jun 2024 21:50:25
I'm happy to see us looking to keep Bruno but at the same time, selling him likely wouldn't be the worst thing. He is our best player, he's there every week, goals, assists and he never hides. He's been easily the best signing we've made in the last decade in my opinion.
But he's 29 and we're not close to challenging for major honours. Even if this rebuild goes very well and in 2 years time we're in a spot to challenge for major honours again, Bruno will be 31 and will have a lot of football behind him. I'm not saying he'd be past it at 31 by any means, but his re-sale value is only going down from here. If someone offered a big money deal, I think it makes sense for United to take it.
02 Jun 2024 21:58:31
AJH you alright? One season? FML.
Bruno is head and shoulders our best player. He stands up and out all the time. Honestly, the disrespect he gets is incredible.
I understand that season one was exceptional but look at his consistency since in a pretty crap united team.
19/ 20 - 49 G/ A
20/ 21 - 45 G/ A
21/ 22 - 24 G/ A
22/ 23 - 28 G/ A
23/ 24 - 28 G/ A.
02 Jun 2024 22:13:46
If we can get north of £50m I’d take it tbh.
He is 29 and not getting any younger. But I wouldn’t take any less than that and it would be better to keep him if the price isn’t right.
02 Jun 2024 22:37:40
Angel, it really is baffling. He’s been by far our best player since he walked through the door. And he was given the armband because there is nobody else.
02 Jun 2024 22:48:07
Cannot believe anyone would want him to leave. He has been by far and away our most creative and consistent player. Yes he has moaned but he definitely cares and he puts himself about all over the pitch. He has created the most goal chances put in the Premier league and this from a team who have been well under par. We have nobody to replace him.
02 Jun 2024 23:58:50
Bruno is our best player by a mile.
Selling him for anything less than £100m would be sabotage.
03 Jun 2024 01:30:19
Straight swap for Neves ?.
03 Jun 2024 03:05:12
Wallace did you mean 100m pesos? Not sure even the ME clubs would pay £100m for him. Bayern certainly wouldn’t. Think 70-80m would be the absolute max anyone would pay.
03 Jun 2024 05:13:21
Let’s hope all this talk is just to push the club to offer a new deal
We lose Bruno that puts us even further behind
The work rate off the ball from him alone, people saying they wouldn’t be bothered if he was to be sold baffle me.
He’s by far our best player and is the sole reason we create anything, it shown how much we missed him when he was missing
Just look at his numbers is a very poor united side
Imagine the numbers he would get playing in that fergie 08 side
The hate for Bruno is astonishing.
03 Jun 2024 07:03:51
Transfer market has him valued at €70 million.
03 Jun 2024 07:41:57
If Bruno was at another club and we were chasing him the price would be £100m.
Anything less than £80m for a genuinely world class player is not worth selling imo. It will cost that to replace him.
03 Jun 2024 08:31:03
I've never been a fan of Bruno. He is very good, and has consistently been among our better players since he arrived, but his behaviour is atrocious, and he is lacking in vision for someone who is meant to be our main creative force. He just doesn't see the runs his team-mates are making, or worse, he does see them and chooses not to make the pass.
If we can get a good fee for him, I'd say sell him, let Mount take his spot and invest the money back into the team.
03 Jun 2024 09:14:58
Football is not just about numbers. The obsession with stats is baffling. Ronaldo scored a lot of goals for us on his return but he clearly made the TEAM weaker.
As much as I love Bruno, he is the worst offender on our team in terms of giving the ball away cheaply.
I think with astute signings to replace him, the loss of Bruno would allow us to have a much more rounded side, capable of controlling games and consequently scoring more goals.
03 Jun 2024 09:40:31
I dunno. I get that a lot of people aren't fond of his character traits but like a few have alluded to, we're not going to replace him with the same quality. Let's take two of the younger in-form players who play in a similar position, Florian Wirtz and Eze - are we getting either of those for £80m?
03 Jun 2024 15:36:39
Bruno does not make us weaker, and if he gives the ball away trying to create something I don’t see the issue
Selling Bruno makes 0 sense.
03 Jun 2024 15:42:25
How would you know what sense it makes bolger?
I
He wants to move or he would not be permitting his agent to talk to other clubs.
You don't know what the clubs plans are or how they will use money from any potential sale.
03 Jun 2024 16:08:00
How would you know he wants to move ken?
Plenty of agents put stories out there in order to get new contracts. So how would you know?
You have no idea what players are and aren't doing, what the club is and isn't doing, what ETH knows and doesn't know.
You go after people on here for professing to know things, when you do the exact same yourself.
03 Jun 2024 16:30:16
Bruno is out beat player but he is 29, and it's going to take a few hours to be in a position to challenge again. If we aren't going to challenge until he is 32 or 33 then why not use that money and the significant wages to get a player who is going to be part of that challenge, a younger player to develop into what we need.
Cold hard decisions need to be made on what is best in the medium term, they need to identify players who will form part of a title challenge in 3 or 4 years and get them and if that means sacrificing a player now because the reality is you don't think he is going to be a part of that then it must be done.
I love Bruno as a player but I would understand if in the bigger picture a decision was made to sell.
I could also be understand if Bruno wanted to go somewhere he can win in the next two years.
03 Jun 2024 17:41:47
Bruno has another 5 to 7 years of top level football in him and a bit like modric. He is so damn durable knock on wood and most top teams would love having him. He is a top midfielder who gives you tons of goals and assist and yes gives the ball away as he tries stuff other players don't have in their locker or can even see the pass.
Imagine what he would be like if he had two top mids next to him in a balanced team.
I get the argument if he wants to go you can't do anything about it and try and get max value for him.
The replacement cost would be very high and people mentioning neves, but he plays as a 6/ 8 most games. A top number 10 would cost us an arm and a leg and not many come to mind. Wirtz or musailah, odegard, come to mind but all very pricey and not even sure you can get them.
Read saudis prepared to pay 100 plus for him but doubt he would go there and still has plenty to offer and ambition to win in europe.
03 Jun 2024 18:09:12
Isn’t Mount’s best position at 10? Why would Utd need to necessarily buy a Wirtz/ Musiala to replace Fernandes if he left?
03 Jun 2024 19:36:15
Good evening angel. How are you doing?
His agent is talking to several clubs. If Bruno didn't want to entertain the possibility of a move I don't think he would allow his agent hawk him around.
If he wants a new contract at united he will ask for one. He doesn't need to use other offers as a bagining c
Tool. It's not how things happen and is irrelevant when looking at contract extensions from a business point of view. Having a counter offer would not alter the clubs strategy 1 iota I'm quite sure.
He has said publicly that he happy to stay and wants to stay with a pretty big caveat so why is is agent looking to explore other potions?
I very much agree with you that I don't know what the clubs plans are with regards to signings nor have I claimed to. So I don't make any claims that the club MUST do this that or the other because I'm not intimate with any details. Its not rocket science.
The point I was making to bolger is that it's daft to suggest any must or mustn't do's until its clear what the plans are, who the coach is style of play etc.
I don't think anybody is disputing that Bruno is a very good football player.
If he wants to leave to you think it's right we keep him?
If we got an offer of 60-80m for him at 30 starting next season it would be foolish not to consider a big offer if it came in.
The finances might stack up best to sell they may not but you've closed your eyes and ears to a possibility without knowing the detail or consequence to the business.
So much more to consider than the emotional whims of fans.
The business comes first so that's what will be the driver of any decision.
If he is seen as an integral part of the next 3 years then he will be kept if not he will be sold for the right offer. Don't think he will be pushed out so if he moves it will be his decision ultimately.
As I said if I was him I'd sit tight to see how it evolves and if its not improving leave on a free in 2 years time.
03 Jun 2024 20:23:54
Of course it’s how things happen, there are thousands of examples of this. Just look at Rooney or Gerrard every time their contracts were due for renewal.
03 Jun 2024 20:43:42
Depends on if you believe the yeah or not. It's not how things happen wazza. If those players are not part of the strategy they will be sold or if they want it they will be sold more often than not.
The security any club has when negotiating a new deal is that they are often in no rush and in this case they have 2 years so him having other offers on the table will not force the hands of the club in this case the club hold the power. A little like ashworth where Newcastle hold the power.
Usually things get sorted without resorting to unpalatable tactics.
If Bruno has an offer more then united want to pay him it will make no difference if we want to keep him.
If he wants to stay and the club want to keep him an offer from bayern or Barcelona that he may have will be irrelevant.
If we want to keep him and he won't sign a new deal because he can get more elsewhere we can then try to sell him for best price or stick him to his current terms for 2 years.
Bruno is too old to give a new contract to in order to preserve his market value there is little point in that.
But the bottom line is his agent is offeringhim around by all accounts and if he doesn't want to move he can stop that talk dead. That's easy. But Bruno has not done that, I don't think he should personally because its his lady chance for a really big move.
03 Jun 2024 21:14:54
I think ideally we would want him to stay another year, he's still our most creative and consistent player in attack. He's also flexible enough to play several different roles/ positions if needed.
I also don't see us getting a huge fee for him, probably somewhere between 50-60m at most I'd imagine. Very few clubs who'd be able and prepared to match his wages AND pay a massive fee for him. Plus he's 29, so any fee paid for him now has to be considered a write-off as he won't have any resale value.
Best to keep him another year, allow the team to grow and evolve then wish him well in a year or twos time when others are ready to step up and take on his mantle as creator in chief.
There is such a thing as trying to change too much too quickly. Yes we want to rebuild the squad, but we still need players to perform and hopefully get us top four next season to help that rebuild. We'll need it both for the money it brings in and to attract those top players we'll need to sign.
Bruno is one of the few if only player we can rely on to produce 20 goals and assists for us next season. Big gamble to lose that.
However, all that said ultimately it comes down to the player. He has to want to be here, to be a part of our team next season. If the players wants to leave and an acceptable offer is made then the club should accept that offer, shake his hand and wish him well.
We won't get anywhere with players who don't want to be here.
03 Jun 2024 21:54:01
Fuser, we can’t rely on Mason Mount to play one single game, let alone 70 across a season… Bruno would need replacing by some level of attacking midfielder, fair enough maybe not top end but an option, particularly if Eriksen leaves too.
03 Jun 2024 22:05:56
Mount wouldn't be asked to tie the laces of Luke Chadwick, let alone Bruno.
03 Jun 2024 22:50:51
That's my thoughts shappy. If he wants to try and commit as he always has done then great.
But if his head has been turned by either glory and a top cl club or for money in the middle east and he would like to take on a new challenge then if the right offer came in and it fits our strategy then there would be no benefit for either party not to let him go.
Nobody is suggesting that his goals and assists wouldn't be a big loss but sometimes the team can benefit in the medium to long term.
I'd like to think both parties might want to give it one more year but without an extension the club would be wide open to a bosman the following year so logic and finances will dictate not emotion.
@spenno I very much agree they are big boots to fill.
Mount is a long way off and if he stays fit he still has a long way to get his form of 2 seasons ago back.
I think any new coach coming in would like to have Bruno so it's a tricky one.
As shappy said sometimes you can change too much too soon so it all depends on the strategy.
Sjr might well well think the 'nuclear ' option of ripping everything up from day 1 is the best option.
If things are a bad as reported (and I'm working off the assumption that they are worse) then who are we to argue.
It appears some of the clubs employees have been so far from best in class professionals upholding standards as you can imagine that they have forgotten that they work for a business and one of the biggest brands in the world.
He has said from the start this will require time and patience.
The business comes 1st right now once the foundations are in place and we are working to a solid strategy we will begin to understand the 'why's and see the 'How's
Lots of times things can happen really quickly, sometimes, not so much and you seem to spend more time in reverse than going forward. That can be frustrating for all us fans.
Anybody joining the club now has an opportunity of a lifetime that's they way I see it. We are lower than a snakes belly at the moment from top to bottom and have been for the last 4 or 5 years. So having the opportunity to become part of the team that revitalised the club is huge for any player dof coach owner head of med science whomever. A few will not succeed along the way but that's OK.
04 Jun 2024 00:19:48
For me tumble why would it make sense to sell your best player?
And given what Bruno has said in multiple interviews he doesn’t want to leave which normally indicate his agent is facilitating a new contract at the club putting pressure on them to offer more wages
But again you can’t always trust what players say in interviews
But the quotes where he said he cried when he was told united made an offer make me think his agent is just trying to get a new deal at United
BUT the main thing that needs to happen and happen quick is the manager situation, that is the most importantly “transfer”
But my opinion is we should not even be entertaining the thought of selling captain fantastic.
04 Jun 2024 01:20:40
Tumble I do agree with your reply above, spot on there tbf.