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

DrPhilG

At first I laughed...

Then I thought "he probably will"...

I've decided on a better version of United leaving announcement. Rather than this:

I like this:

CantGetNoSleep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777731#Comment_123777731

Have you watched any matches recently? No chance of top 4 playing Amorim ball so changing the manager still needs to be factored in

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777321#Comment_123777321

The tone of this meme would be more in line with having signed Donnarumma, Baleba and Lamine Yamal,not signing a goalie prospect and realising enormous losses on two wastes of space.

That offloading failures is seen as success is sad

scottser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777744#Comment_123777744

See ya.

Wouldn't wanna be ya.

The Big Easy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777833#Comment_123777833

I go out of my way to watch pretty much every minute. I have been highly frustrated at large passages of play, just like under Moyes, Van Gaal, Mourinho, Solskjaer and ETH.

I like the idea of having a long-term plan and sticking with it through adversity. The GK situation is creating chaos throughout the team and has been since Onana was signed. Lemmens is hopefully the solution.

Have you been watching the games?

What did you think of the Arsenal match, the first 30 against Fulham and the first half against Burnley?

paulbok

Overall happy with the windows, but do have reservations about getting two no.10's to the detriment of the midfield/ GK positions. Especially when we already were well stocked there with Bruno, Zirkzee, Anmad & Mount. I guess they went for them as they were obtainable this summer, leaving one or the other risked then being bought by someone else.

We needed a striker, only time will tell if Sesko is the answer, but there wasn't a lot of top strikers available (0% chance of Isak for several reasons). There is a risk with him but no more than any other young player coming into the PL for big money.

Leaving a GK until deadline day indicated the club were prepared to muddle on for the season with Dud & Dudder, but had to move as they both became massive liabilities since the season started. Huge pressure on a fairly unproven young GK now. Could backfire

Midfield is a glaring hole now. Ugarte not good enough for first XI, Casemiro's legs are gone, watch his form plummet again once the winter sets in. Bruno not a two man midfielder and Mainoo off the boil, as you can expect from a young player. On top of those limitations, we really needed another body in there with Eriksen gone and Collyier out on loan. Guaranteed to get injuries at some stage. While I understand the finances meant the club couldn't move on first choices such as Baleba this summer and great to see them not buy someone for 50m to plug the gap, only to not have a spot for them next year, surely they could have got someone in on loan.

As for the outgoings, with the bomb squad practically unsellable for various reasons, they done really well to shift them, though I expect Rashford to be dumped by Barca at the first opportunity.

Overall a decent window, but with midfield ignored and the length some transfers took, it could have been better.

B-

PARlance

I'll give the window a 7/10, it would have been 7.5 if we had got an experienced striker / kept Hojlund as backup / competition.

Our main issue for years has been the lack of goals, that was addressed in a very good way with Cunha, Mbeumo, and (maybe) Sesko.

Clearing out the likes of Rashford, Sancho, and Garnacho should have a positive impact all around.

My rating is in the context of where we thought we were and what they can hopefully achieve next summer. We didn't think we had 200m to go out and get a new front three. Yes, we absolutely could do with a DM but with Casemiro's wages/contract, and our finances, that will have to wait until next summer. Amorim needs to show what he's made of in terms of developing players, Mainoo should be one half of a good midfield for years to come imo.

Keeper... I'm not sure what to think. If Lammens is ready, then great, but who knows. If he proves himself not to be a complete disaster between the sticks then it might make it a 7.5/8 out of 10 summer.

scottser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777857#Comment_123777857

Offloading failures IS a success. You might argue that it's best to respond quickly to failure and we have been definitely guilty of being too slow to move players on but when you have the likes of Rashford, Garnacho, Antony and Sancho refusing to move, the club is limited in what it can do to react quickly and positively to change things on the pitch. You could also look at the likes of Maguire who managed to come back from a spell of terrible form to retain his importance in the squad, in that it worked out well for both the player and the club that he didn't get transferred for the 25m offered at the time. Either way, you'd have to be lobotomised to not be delighted that you'll never see Sancho in a United jersey again.

Iseedeadpixels

Gary Neville claiming Lammens is seen as a number 2.....

randd1

A solid 6/10 window. The positives;

Cunha massive signing, PL proven, pace, power, good feet, runs at the defence.

Same with Mbuemo, PL proven, physically up for it, and he's a goal-scorer too.

Sesko, a bit early to tell. Very Hojlund like signing, but with more goals to his name before he joined, led the line well in the Bundesliga, can score a header, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt that he'll score.

Lemmens, definite plus, anything is better than the chuckle brothers, and by all accounts he's decent if unspectacular, which is far better than what we have now. Should be no1 before long.

Hojlund, he was an honest trier, but lacked quality and confidence, would have liked him to stay as back-up, but probably best for all he moved on, wish him the best.

Antony, he was another honest trier, just completely unsuited to the PL, but the way he left left a sour taste, good luck but glad to be rid of him.

Garnacho, the problems out-weighed the talent, and I'm not sure it's that much of a talent, good to get rid, and good riddance.

Rashford, out of our hair for now. Should be done fully with him by this time next year.

Sancho, best of what we could do with him without unloading him. He'll be gone this time next year, and the worst player the club has ever had will be out the door. A cancer which only total removal will cure. Thank God for a desperate Villa.

The negatives;

No new DCM player. We desperately need one to hold the centre and cover the runners. And the worry is they'll look for a supposed wonder-signing, but the touted cost for Baleba, we could probably find two solid CM players that cover the ground. They have a few months now, do a proper scouting, find two solid players for that money and get them sorted before the next window opens rather than waiting last minute.

No new WB. We're desperately short in this department in terms of quality. Dorgu has pace but is not much use otherwise, Shaw is decent but mainly a crock and completely unreliable, Dalot is ok going forward but can't defend, Amad more suited more forward.

Onana still there. How? He's beyond useless, and has been a liability since he came.

Bruno not working out in midfield. Our best player, but his best years are behind him. With Mbuemo and Cunha there and not going anywhere, and Amad and Mainoo back up for that position, Bruno is becoming a problem, his position is filled and where he's playing doesn't suit him or the system, and he's out of sorts there. It's good he stayed because he's quality, but had he gone to Arabia and we got two actual CM players instead, we'd be probably be better off. With his age profile, it's a nettle that has to be grasped at some stage. A transfer out for a huge fee was probably the best long term option for the club.

Lack of CM signings means we're stuck with a malfunctioning Ugarte for a while. Does a job, just not a good one. The lad looks lost, even something along the lines of a swap deal with Atletico for Gallagher would have been something.

Lack of squad signings for cover.

Last minute drama again. FFS, lock down the transfers early.

Is the manager going to change? If results continue as is, he'll definitely have to go. So are the transfers building for the managers system, or for long term vision for the club? We're still not sure after this window.

Definitely a solid 6/10. Could be better, but much better than the sh!tshows of recent seasons all the same.

Mod Edit: Warned for player abuse - referring to players as "a cancer" is not acceptable

johnnyryan89

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

If someone like Wharton does come in could that spell the end of Mainoo at United. Could both players long term form a midfield partnership.

Baleba was mentioned as a Bruno replacement to play 8 which surprised some. Think someone like him gives you the option to tinker with the midfield combination which is why he's been looked at.

I've not seen enough of Palace to know how he'd fit best into our midfield but the lad looks quality. Could he play as an 8 or just a 6.

FourFourRED

Stuff on Onana from The Atheltic. Puts an explanation to him not starting v Arsenal or Fulham:

The other major aspect of the window regarding incomings centred on the goalkeeper. United did not intend to make a signing in the position when the window opened but circumstances changed when Onana came back for pre-season. He reported an issue with his hamstring on day one, and then a full injury on day two, but this left staff questioning what shape he was in after the summer to suffer the problem straight away. 

For Amorim, the setback left a lasting impression, with Altay Bayindir selected in the first three Premier League games. Onana was left out of the squad entirely for the Arsenal despite feeling he was fit to play, with Tom Heaton named on the bench. Onana was surprised when overlooked at Craven Cottage.

On reflection the seeds had been sown at the end of last season, when Bayindir started the final Premier League game of the campaign against Aston Villa, with Heaton among the substitutes and Onana left out following a disappointing performance in the Europa League final.

Onana came back to Carrington wanting a new contract — he has been of that view since receiving the standard 25 per cent cut for non-qualification to the Champions League — a stance that did not go down well with Amorim. Yet United made no efforts to sell Onana. Monaco were the only club to register a real interest in him but they were informed his price was a minimum £30m. Monaco declined to go further.

Following the Fulham game Onana’s representatives again checked if United wished for them to seek exit options but they were told not to, and that the player remains a part of Amorim’s plans.

By that point though, following Bayindir’s uncertain display against Arsenal, United had activated on signing Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp. The club, led by Ratcliffe, decided to sign a new goalkeeper.
—

Martinez deemed too expensive, earns more than Onana & Villa wanted £30m. Amorim pushed for him. Wilcox and Berrada wanted Lammens.

Donnarumma wanted £13m net per year -a significant amount more than what Bruno is on.

Diogo Costa also looked at.

Zeek12

An Ok window, not a great one. Probably 6/10.

I have doubts about Sesko and said it here the week we signed him. I get that options in the CF department are not huge right now, but I feel we've overpaid for a pretty limited striker again. Remains to be seen if he can cut it at this level.

I actually think we may have missed a trick with Wissa: he's PL proven, already has a great relationship with Mbeumo, is in his prime right now (not every signing has to be one for the future)……and was gettable for about £20M less than Sesko.

As far as Sancho and Rashford are concerned, we just kicked the can down the road. They will both be back in 9/10 months time.

Really pleased with what Mbeumo has shown, even at this early stage. He's a leader and is totally fearless. He'll be an excellent acquisition.

Glad to see a GK arrive, he can only be an improvement on what we have.

But CM remains the biggest worry of all. I just don't see how we can make progress with only Casemiro + 1 in there.

Zeek12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778171#Comment_123778171

If the £30M fee for Martinez is true, I'm glad Wilcox and co. said No. To put it in perspective, thats £4-5 million more than City paid for Donnarumma - who is 7 years younger and has just won the Champions league with PSG.

Martinez's performance levels have slipped in recent seasons. He's not the keeper he was 2-3 years ago imo and has become quite error prone.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778139#Comment_123778139

I think a little bit too much is made of the talk between a 6 and 8. A very good 6 could play 8 and vice versa imo. In a 3-4-2-1, you probably want/need both CM's to be a mix between both.

I would look at as a bit of a throwback to an old CM pairing, a you go/I stay approach. Both should be able the get forward, both should be able to defend. A ideal pairing would have one a little more defensive minded and the other a little more attacking but they should be well able to do both. The additional CB in a 3-4-2-1 should be helping out / stepping up as a 6 when needed.

Imo, a decent coach should be able to make a very good CM pairing out of Mainoo and Baleba / Wharton. The issue is that I would be playing Mainoo with Casemiro there this year in preparation for that. I think it's best if Bruno goes back to play as one of the 10's but I'm not sure that's going to happen. The only real chance is that he moves Mbeumo or Cunha to play 9 a fair bit of the time.

Iseedeadpixels

Onana came back to Carrington wanting a new contract — he has been of that view since receiving the standard 25 per cent cut for non-qualification to the Champions League — a stance that did not go down well with Amorim.

Hahahahaha that lad is on crack!

The Big Easy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778221#Comment_123778221

This is exactly it, I will judge Amorim most harshly if he can't make a very good midfield pairing for his system with Mainoo as one of the two.

DrPhilG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778171#Comment_123778171

Lots to questions come from that...

If Onana was already losing his place to Bayindir as a result of last year's form, and then shows up for pre season unfit and wanting a new contract, why were we not actively looking at moving him on? Even if they had decided to give Bayindir a shot as number 1, there's no sense keeping Onana as a 2 given his value and salary (not to mention being crap).

Surely if we had moved a month ago we could have bought Lammens for £20m and sold Onana for £25 + bonuses easily enough?

Also interesting to see after the endless debates in the ETH era (was it long enough to class as an era?) about manager veto on purchases, that Amorim has allegedly been denied twice this summer. Watkins vs Sesko and Martinez vs Lammens.

KH25

So Onana wanted a new contract because he wants more money, despite being generally awful since he signed? Delusional.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777932#Comment_123777932

Its necessary but not anything to get excited or be happy about. When a business kills a failing project and layoff the project team they dont gloat about about how great they are for killing the project.

As a fan you have to be sad it didnt worked and angry at those that signed the cnut in the first place. Being glad he is gone and seeing it as a success are two entirely different things. Its abject failure.

johnnyryan89

Grimsby have been fined £20K for fielding an ineligible player in their EFL cup win. Said player was registered a minute past the deadline.

The Big Easy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778309#Comment_123778309

I think no serious club would want him, so it was always likely that Saudi is the only option and that window is still open.

Turkey is also still open, where I'm sure there is interest in Bayindir, I imagine we'll move on one of them in the next week, first choice is probably Onana to Saudi, but if that isn't a runner, Bayindir will go back to Turkey.

DrPhilG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778325#Comment_123778325

Yeah and Ederson is going to Fenerbache, so Galatasaray are still in the market.

Pity we couldn't have brought Martinez in, even on loan, to compete with Lammens and send the 2 plebs both on their way.

Mitch Connor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778323#Comment_123778323

not good enough. CHeaters shouldn;t be allowed to prosper. they should be kicked out of the competition and whatever team was unluckly enough to be undone by their cheating should be re-instated into the competition immediately.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778352#Comment_123778352

What would be more embarrassing than losing to Grimsby in the League Cup? Losing to Grimsby in the league cup and then getting reinstated to the league cup after admin error in registering a player who was deemed not good enough for Bradford City.

paulbok

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778352#Comment_123778352

Now THAT would break the Internet, nevermind Boards 😅

Seattle

Is it not standard to be thrown out of a cup competition for fielding an ineligible player?

I'm pretty sure there would be uproar if the shoe was on the other foot and Utd got away with a fine.

caviardreams

Onana wanted a new contract?

A new contract?

An actual new contract?

After everything last season.

Wow.

FourFourRED

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778231#Comment_123778231

Yeah that blew me away. Had to share it. Didn’t want to draw attention to it, let people have a laugh half way through reading it 😂

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123778393#Comment_123778393

Knowing our luck we'd just end up losing to Sheffield Wednesday in the third round. Speaking of Sheffield Wednesday, the loan move for Harry Amass, their only outfield signing they made this summer Man United are footing the bill for his loan. From wages to his accommodation costs, and through to any bonuses he may pick up between now and January.