Manchester United Thread 25/26 - Teamtalk/Transfers/Gossip Mod Note in OP 26.09.24

Headshot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777129#Comment_123777129

Delighted we got a new keeper as I cannot bear seeing Onana any where near the team but granted I dont know much about Lammens but I suppose he has one big positive already and that he's not Onana

It's been a very good transfer window but it's hard not to miss the elephant in the room, our CM will cost us this season but lets just hope we can outscore the opposition

Our brand new front three has me excited

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123776920#Comment_123776920

I think its a very poor window. No midfielder, and two unproven young players in positions we desperately need an immediate impact from. If I was Amorim I would be pissed right now, if form doesn't pick up and he ends up sacked, this window is the first thing people will point to as to why.

Its good that certain players are gone, for a while at least. But they weren't around the team anyway so just in terms of on field performance I'd be concerned.

No midfielder signed. You will be hearing those words a lot in the near future I predict.

Nalz

I wouldn't call it very poor, poor or decent.

I think it's okay. 6/10.

No idea how much fair play rules were a factor or what we can or will do in January.

Also what are these rumours that we were looking for a RB as well and not a DM or striker?

Bleating Lamb

IMO the fact that there was no real effort to sign a DM means the club are going to go all in on a long term DM next Summer like Wharton or Baleba.

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777185#Comment_123777185

I'll retract very poor. Poor or not depends almost completely on whether or not the two young players integrate well or not. If they do a Hojlund then it has to be considered a poor transfer window in which glaring problems were not fixed.

If they settle quick and actually produce, that will be important.

Problem is, no midfielder means it will be harder for them to settle quickly.

scottser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777178#Comment_123777178

Calling it very poor is harsh. Newcastle have had a very poor window, foe example. Cunha and Mbuemo are great signings. Sesko was best of a bad lot, though while all that was going on we could have easily brought in a 6 from somewhere for small enough money. Sesko has more nous than Hoijlund and will do well for us, likewise its a low bar for Lemmens to earn the no 1 spot so it would be sensible to reserve judgement on those two for now. But what makes this a decent window is moving on the like of Sancho, Rashford, Garnacho and Antony - the folks who worked on those loans and transfers should get their proper dues.

DrPhilG

A tumultuous window, but it ended well...

GolfPar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123776834#Comment_123776834

I suspect we haven't seen the last of Rashford & Sancho.

DataDude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777248#Comment_123777248

Yep, as with any window you don’t really know if it’s been successful for 12-24 months. Of any fanbase, we should know what. Ed Woodward doing things other clubs can only dream about and all that…

FourFourRED

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777332#Comment_123777332

Sancho’s contract is up in the summer so that should be that. Unless Villa send him back in January or something if they’re able to. United won’t take up that option on his contract. Can see him agreeing a deal with someone else in Jan / Feb and then suffering from illness for a bit and miss games for Villa. I don’t know why they’ve agreed to pay him. Maybe he does something but I don’t think he will.

Sand

I think it was an overall solid window. The team needs improvement in all areas but last season, it was the lack of goals which killed us in the league. The club has prioritised signing attacking players to address that. Ideally there would be an entirely new midfield on top of that, plus new wingbacks for a system that needs wingbacks. But we were never going to sign 7 or 8 new first team players in a single window when the club has been penny pinching all year. Midfield and wingbacks for next window I guess.

That said, I think people need to buckle up for what will be a grim season of Casemiro + 1 other being our first choice midfield pairing. Pretty much any PL team we play will have a stronger midfield that we do.

y0ssar1an22

i dunno how to rate the window. across the board, most of the dealings occurred far too late in the window. so that immediately marks it down.

the squad building wasnt great. really we should have only signed one 10, play bruno there and spend 60-70 on a CM.

we got the players out, but all for well less than originally wanted. rashford for example will be back next season unless barce activate the pretty modest €30m option.

if lemmens aint #1 straight away, i dont like that transfer. i would suspect amorim hates it if he aint ready to be #1.

sesko to me remains an unknown.

the baleba briefings make no sense. did we have an additional 50m+ to go after him (leaving aside BHU would never have sold him for that much)? if yes, was the scouting so bad that there was no backup option? if no, why waste 2 weeks speaking to him and BHU?

4.5/10 for me right now.

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777341#Comment_123777341

I think you can have "good" windows that were good even if the transfers ultimately don't work out. They are good in the sense that the decisions made and money spent was sensible, it addressed the problems at hand and players involved were well regarded.

And you can have bad windows that were bad no matter what. Like paying a world record fee for a limited defender, or huge wages for an over the hill midfielder. Those are bad decisions even if the players have their moments here and there.

Sign a proven striker, a solid keeper and a mobile midfielder and I would have called it a good window, even if the individuals themselves didn't work out.

Don't sign a midfielder, then spend 90m on two very unproven players? If that ain't bad, then it sure ain't good.

scottser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777244#Comment_123777244

Maguire and Cas will be gone at the end of the season, Ugarte loaned or sold maybe even before that, Bruno and Shaw will be hitting their last year so we'll need two defenders and at least two midfielders. Baleba is not a 100m player and Wharton isn't a 60m player either. But yeh, we should be spending large on the spine of the team next. In the meantime, we may all pray that Mainoo and Ugarte step up or that we have a plan B using Dalot and Licha.

kerplun k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777332#Comment_123777332

Yeah, I suspect we haven’t seen the last of Rashford & Sancho either. Proper Jason/Freddy stuff, you think it’s done, and suddenly they’re back again.

Mitch Connor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777161#Comment_123777161

Casemiro and Bruno ate our first choice midfielders. Can't be higher than a 6 for me.

I worry about the keeper too. I've no doubt he has potential, but we need immediate impact and have a poor record of developing players.

StringerBell

A solid 6/10 for me, love the signing of Mbuemo, very happy with Cunha but think the funds possibly would have been better spent on a proper athletic number 6 to give a better platform but who knows. Sesko I'm not overwhelmed with and think we are actually edging towards making the same mistake as we did with Hojlund. The keeper could be anything, the real bonus was removing Antony, Sancho, Rashford and Garnacho from the squad - even if not involved having them around the club, the latter three in particular were no good. They push the window from a 4.5 to a 6 for me. I will never have to countenance seeing Sancho in a united jersey again, it's a good day.

DataDude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777373#Comment_123777373

Yeah fair point but also think the window needs to be put in the context of who was available. The transfers that really hurt are the ones where a clear alternative was there.

When we got Hojlund I truly believe we could have had Kane. When we signed Ugarte, Neves was there. That’s not just hindsight either.

Who knows on Sesko. But if he does flop I won’t look back and say ‘we should have got x’. It was slim slim pickings. With regards to CM, I don’t know anyone who was a slam dunk.

There wasn’t many ‘guarantees’ this summer in the positions we really needed. Perhaps people will say Martinez in goal in 12 months time.

DrPhilG

That moment when the excitement of deadline day passes and you remember it's the international break...

Caustic

Not really sure why sesko and hojund are being compared so much, sesko has a lot more football played compared to hojund when we signed him. Has scored plenty of goals so far and has outperformed his xg 3 seasons running, last 2 seasons by a good margin. Maybe we are all burnt out by past transfers but he looks an exciting prospect

AidoEirE

I'm giving the window an 8.

We've got rid of some absolute deadwood and bad characters by all accounts from the outside looking in.

Out's

Rashford : Always tailoring for a move to Barca even before his loan to Villa. Doesn't want yo be at the club.

Samcho: Finally out the door. Villa covering 80% of his wages (i believe) which is huge considering his contract up next summer. Good riddance.

Antony: 25m eith a 50% sell on clause, a loss but that sell on is huge if he keeps that form he shown at Betis.

Garna: 50million pure profit, yes could have gone for more, but we got him at a young age for 500k and thats pure profit.

Malcia: Off to Elce, I hope he smashes it and gets its footballing career back on track. Glad he found a club, newly promoted in LaLiga.

IN's

Mbeumbo and Cuhna: are brilliant signings and at 25/26 will get another 5/6 years of quality. They already look great even though its in a raw system of the front line being changed. Exciting.

Sesko: Not match fit fully. Took the 19th oeno during Grimsby only by chance because he was cramped, buried it well either way. Has had no preseason in this system which requires a lot of athleticism. Far too early too judge but utd were enquiring after him for a long time.

With regarding keeper, we got an up and coming player, Courtois had high praises for him which is great. He'll be bedded in and rightfully so. Can't put him up against City and Chelsea where those ganes are media frenzy ready to rip a player to shreds.

CM is needed for sure, but with the late deals done that gives us a bit more leeway come January to address it.

We hit 44 goals last season. That front line needed to be addressed first and foremost.

We've hit 20+ on target every game so far this season, highest in the league.

The outwards was just as important to who we got in imo and we've got in lads who actually want to play for utd. Not a mad scramble dash to sign a big name or quick filler at the last moment.

DrPhilG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777508#Comment_123777508

You didn't specify £ or €, presume you meant £.

* Garnacho was £40m, not £50m.

* Malacia didn't go to Elche. Deal collapsed.

* Antony fee was £19m plus £2m in add ons.

Agree with the post in general, just being picky.

AidoEirE

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777526#Comment_123777526

Appreciate the correction sir, between all the news today some were reporting euros others pounds. Thanks for clearing that!

Genuinely feel bad for Malcia, do we know why it fell through?

fatherted1969

Sancho will probably look for his supposed 25% wage cut due to no European football reinstated cos hes now back in it 🤣

ngunners

Just saw that Bruno Fernandes has created more chances AND won possession more times than any other player in the league. He’s insane and we are lucky to have him.

StringerBell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777490#Comment_123777490

Similarities include:

Both very young

Both very tall

Both cost a lot

Both new to league

Both expected to lead the line with no real experience striker or backup to carry the weight

Neither historically prolific (small samples)

One directly replaced the other

Both blonde 😂

We all hope Sesko does well, he's been at nothing so far and is likely to face a lot of the same problems as Hojlund but with a stronger support line behind him hopefully he will fill the role.

Manc-Red_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123776655#Comment_123776655

I think you’re right there, it’s a massive game and I feel it’s into the deep-end big time.

Chelsea too is but the guy has to get in goal sometime and get them pair of ultra mistake prone z-class keepers out of the first 11 quickfast.

Even if we play well in the two games they’re guaranteed a minimum of two goals handed to them by one of them.

talla10

Its been a very good window for all reasons stated by other posters. Anyone calling it a poor or very poor window is very unrealistic in expecting more in a window where there is no European football and the club's profile has fallen significantly in recent years; That said we are still able to attract players like Cunha and Mbuemo.

We have gotten rid of 80% of the "bomb" squad with Sancho leaving for free next season and Rashford hopefully staying at Barca- I feel sorry for Hojlund I really think there's a player in him and wouldn't be surprised to see him smash goals in Serie A and Napoli sign him permanently next summer.

No CM is disappointing but we are never fixing everything in one window- We needed a GK more than a CM so delighted to get in a new keeper although I don't know much about him.

The Big Easy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777248#Comment_123777248

They're working to a more medium term plan, you don't like that (or probably believe it) and you'll be right if they turn around and sack RA based on results in the short-term.

All the noises have consistently said that they will take the time to correct years of mismanagement and that RA is their guy to oversee the team through this turbulent period.

I'm not sure I fully believe it either as I share some of your more obvious misgivings. However, I'm happy to go along with a different approach and give everyone some actual time to get things right sustainably.

Maybe not signing a CM means no CL next year either and I guess that is a calculated risk, that would mean that RA doesn't get sacked if he misses out on CL football.

I guess the expectation level is set at 4th to 7th for this season. Then after CM, WB, and CB recruitment next summer we're looking at 2nd to 4th, then champions the following season.

They will be looking at their recruitment of Sesko and Lemmens in the light of are they the backbone of a title challenge in two seasons time, not if they fire us to the CL this season. That's not to say that they couldn't possibly,just that's not the number one goal in signing them.

Of course this could be the wrong approach, but it's the one we're taking and I'm happy to support it.

DrPhilG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777537#Comment_123777537

Don't know, just said that talks broke down and it fell through. Was also only a loan I think.

Hopefully he'll find a spot in Turkey or Saudi and take a keeper with him.