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

Thoughts then on the first INEOS window so far?

In:

Yoro, Zirkzee, De Ligt, Mazraoui

Out:

Martial, Varane, Wan-Bissaka, Greenwood, Kwambala, Van de Beek

We still clearly need to add to midfield and it would be good to shift a few more but overall it's a much more structured window than under previous control. Taking the hit and letting Martial & Varane go for example. Woodward was obsessed with future resale value and kept renewing contracts even though the daft wages he was handing out was crippling any chance of actually selling them.

We do seem to have achieved more reasonable fees than before too, and although we're not getting huge sale values the sell on clauses etc seem fairly sensible.

For me it is a mixed bag. I'm not sure how to take it.

I do like the Yoro and Zirkzee signings.

For De Ligt and Mazraoui, i have worries.

With De Ligt i worry we will struggle to pair him with Maguire (too similar), Yoro (RCBs?) so are we still reliant on Martinez being fit to play a balanced, proactive, defence?
With Mazraoui, I worry about his fitness record.
And with both of them - why are Bayern so willing to sell? If Kimmich is moving into midfield, then why is Mazraoui not their RB?
And it may be illogical, but our targets and CB and RB being two guys who played for EtH previously doesn't fill me with confidence that the new recruitment team is buying based on solid fundemental long term plans. To be fair though, I reckon Brantwaithe and Todibo were higher on the CB list than De Ligt - and De Ligt isn't a bad player.

In more general terms on the deals, I do like that we seem to have stuck to a price. We value players at X value, and if a deal can't be done at or close to that, the club move on (Brantwaite, Ugarte).

Central midfield, and the lack of movement there is a big concern for me though, and I genuinely don't really get spending 40m on De Ligt before signing a Central Midfielder to be first choice ahead of Caremiro. I also look at left back with massive worry for the season, but I can also understand not signing a player there when you still have Shaw and Malacia under contract and Amass coming through. Maybe we could go get Davies, for example, but if we sign him then Amass has no first team chance for 4/5 years - is that a worthy consideration.

I do think we have done well, but I also think the CM signing will be the one that places a judgement on this window, as I think a CM signing and its quality will define the season.

Yeah midfield concerns me, but I think the overall increase in common sense gives me optimism that they won't go into the new season without strengthening there.

That quote doesn't seem to be in the article you linked.

I'm not convinced by ETH but I wouldn't be using that point as a stick to beat him with. Martinez has been class, Antony has been a disaster (the fee was ridiculous but I don't pin that on ETH)… Onana got off to a very shakey start but I still think that more time should be given to fully evaluate that transfer.

A manager favouring a player that they know and have worked with in the past is not some new thing. It's fairly common and there's plenty of sense behind it. Especially considering ETH came in when absolute clowns were in control, he had every right to want some control and knowledge of incoming players rather than leave it up to those guys.

Small thread on the Bayern reddit from a united fan asking what they thought mainly positive to neutral I'd say.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BayernMunich/comments/1eq95od/de_ligt_to_manchester_united_question_from_a/

You could argue you could have had prime rio and vidic at the back last season and they'd have been destroyed by the midfield set up allowing players to run at them at will.

The leadership aspect is one that probably overlooked but can't be highlighted enough. We've been lacking this so much.

We have different views of leadership . When I say leadership, I mean the very things like aggression, physicality shown on the pitch that you refer to, but they dont fall under leadership for you. Leading the team by these actions.

Evans, Lindelof, Maguire don't fall into the leader category in my book. They might be good leaders off the pitch, sensible heads etc who might say the right things in team meetings or to the press... but I'm taking about on field leaders.

Bruno and Casemiro can be leaders on the pitch, but we don't see it enough imo and Bruno can be terrible at it at times with his histrionics.

I don't think people are talking about just the mental and organisational aspects of his game when they refer to his leadership. Aggression and physicality would be up there above them imo.

Fred may have been a pastor but he wasn't a leader.

....

Looks like Zubimendi has turned Liverpool down 🤭

Also on de Ligt and ten Hag, he has already said it wasn’t his idea to sign him this summer. "Believe it or not, his name did not come from me in the process."