Now that's what I call a January window

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Really enjoyed that and glad we're expanding our field of vision and not solely focusing on the future, but also the very important present.

Two unwanted fullbacks moved on and replaced with two positions in which we desperately needed reinforcements, one to go straight into the side and instantly be a massive upgrade on what we've been using all season.

All that whilst Spurs and Chelsea fumbled around managing to do absolutely nothing.

Delighted for Ighalo too, he must be in pure wonderland right now.

 

[DBT85]

Best of luck to ighalo tbh. He's turning up with the fan base laughing at him at a time when we desperately need a backup.

 

[Kag]

We’ve signed a player for £50 million in January. No other major club has been able strengthen like that.

The club isn’t perfect and many concerns have merit but the relentless negativity is tedious.

If Rashford and Pogba were fit then perceptions of the window would be significantly more positive.

 

[Samid]

Ed is that you?

 

[Acole9]

Fernandes, Bishop and Ighalo. We're probably one of the best clubs at signing players in the country.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Ed is that you?

No, my name's Matt

 

[BergkamptoOvermars]

Really enjoyed that and glad we're expanding our field of vision and not solely focusing on the future, but also the very important present.

Two unwanted fullbacks moved on and replaced with two positions in which we desperately needed reinforcements, one to go straight into the side and instantly be a massive upgrade on what we've been using all season.

All that whilst Spurs and Chelsea fumbled around managing to do absolutely nothing.

Delighted for Ighalo too, he must be in pure wonderland right now.

Be in Wonderland about joining a team who finishes sixth/seventh? Come on

 

[Bastian]

Roundup:

So we did a Maguire with Bruno. A player available for less money last summer (as was Maguire when Jose wanted him). We then proceeded to spend the whole window negotiating, only to end up paying the set price at the end of the window. With Maguire, we could have had him bed in much sooner, with Bruno we could have had him playing for all of January.

We tried to tempt Jude Bellingham to join from Birmingham. Rumoured to have offered 30m for the 16 year old. He didn’t fancy it.

We made an offer for Josh King - Bournemouth fighting relegation - how likely was it that they’d want to sell relatively cheap with no time to replace him?

Ole personally went to speak with Haaland, thinking he’d join us. Goes to Dortmund and scores loads of goals. Granted, if rumours of the deal are to be believed, the player is almost being rented from Raiola and his dad. If Ole tried to get around Raiola, that’s a plus.

We were rumoured to have scoped out a loan move for 20 year old Argentine striker Adolfo Gaich, who has a tiny €13.5m release clause.

Vague rumours around Grealish, Maddison, Cavani, Rakitic.

And we saw Rojo and Young leave, despite Ole saying he wanted to retain the players at the club as the squad was so stretched.

It is clear that our transfer “committee” is atrocious. It is also clear that we do not have a long-term approach in place, where we know our targets. A long-term plan includes more then 2-3 players that are unattainable in January because they are playing in the CL. This “long-termism” seems to be a relatively empty buzzword to buy more time for a club that has little ambition, and perhaps, not the money it once did, having squandered hundreds of millions on inflated fees, wages and managerial sackings.

That being said, we needed a striker and got one in. Mainly it’s good so we won’t destroy Martial and Greenwood.

And we needed a midfielder so we won’t play Matic and Fred until they get even too injured for Ole to play them.

I don’t mind us not spending huge sums in January, but I find it unacceptable that a club of this stature doesn’t seem prepared in the slightest.

I’d give this window a 5/10 given our needs, but I was expecting 0/10.

 

[Rozay]

Would have preferred King or Rondon but I’m very pleased with our business. A forward and a midfielder we’re very much needed. We needed help to limp to the summer.

 

[Infestissumam]

Best of luck to ighalo tbh. He's turning up with the fan base laughing at him at a time when we desperately need a backup.

not sure why any United fan would be laughing at him. I would have prefered Rondon but Ighalo's a solid short-term option too. Knows the league, United fan apparently, gives us necessary depth and won't kick a fuss when on the bench. No long-term repercussions either, just a stop-gap. No idea why people would laugh at this, we absolutely needed another striker and there aren't exactly tons of options around on January 31st. Spurs did nothing today, I very much prefer getting Ighalo in.

 

[SER19]

Agree. Our mistakes were made last summer in terms of squad size. 4 days ago I was livid we hadn't signed fernandes and added an option up top on loan.

Very happy as I believe 4th or europa is possible.

 

[UDontMessWith24]

So I’m the only one that remembers Bruno Fernandes saying a tearful goodbye before a friendly only for the transfer to fall through?

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

Haaland and Bruno could have been amazing but this isn't bad either. Hope Pogba and McTominay are back after the break, things click and United get top 4.

 

[M Bison]

Good outcome all round and hope we can push on for the rest of the season.

Well done Ed.

 

[nyanza]

You forgot Sander Berge, the young gk from Southend.

 

[steve88]

Yer its been a great window. Bruno is exactly what we needed and Ighalo will hopefully put away goals when given a chance and gives Rashord and Martial a break when needed, plus he can be an option from bench.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Roundup:

So we did a Maguire with Bruno. A player available for less money last summer (as was Maguire when Jose wanted him).

I mean, I love this daft idea people have that Maguire was available the Summer after the World Cup (he wasn't and didn't push for a move), and that somehow he was cheaper (he wasn't).

Bruno was plenty more expensive in the Summer by the way, we called their bluff.

 

[ChaddyP]

Really enjoyed that and glad we're expanding our field of vision and not solely focusing on the future, but also the very important present.

Two unwanted fullbacks moved on and replaced with two positions in which we desperately needed reinforcements, one to go straight into the side and instantly be a massive upgrade on what we've been using all season.

All that whilst Spurs and Chelsea fumbled around managing to do absolutely nothing.

Delighted for Ighalo too, he must be in pure wonderland right now.

Good post and after all is said and done I feel similar. Only gripe is how long it took to get them in.

 

[drdoityourself]

Well Spurs did buy Bergwijn and secured Lo Celso, so that isn't really absolutely nothing.

But I'm pleased with another two of the deadwood leaving, a fantastic signing addressing our most desperate need in a creative player in Bruno Fernandes. Ighalo has a good goal scoring record and addresses a need for depth in attack, comes with no burden on our budget or squad size in the summer. So a good window for us.

 

[AneRu]

I am satisfied with what we have done this window and excited to see the new dimension the two signings will bring to the side. Ighalo is a short term signing but I hope he takes his chance and becomes our long term back up striker.

What we have done this January means that we can approach the summer window from a position of strength and won't suffer if we just sign three players. We are still in the EL, the FA Cup and in with a chance for top four so let's hope the investment pays off and we finish the season on a positive note.

 

[pascell]

Don't want to quote your whole post @Bastian but Sporting wanted €80-90m in summer, so we've actually paid less.

Regarding Bellingham, he wasn't going to come straight into the side and we were going to loan him back for 18 months, this deal can still be completed outside of the transfer window and may still be done.

I don't for a minute believe the Gaich rumours.

 

[RedM11]

We are clearly transfer winners out of the teams fighting for top 4.

Im looking forward to the last leg of the season, think we are slowly heading in the right direction.

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

Too late, but better that then never. We did bring in players in the right positions at least. I think both could do well and add something we need.

Just why did we not try harder earlier to help us out in the recent games we had without Rashford?

 

[No Love]

Had low expectations that were exceeded. Pretty happy, in fairness.

Ighalo wouldn’t have been my first choice, but good luck to him. Hope he gets his chance and can score us a few goals. Has an incredible opportunity to become something of a cult hero, if he can bag a few.

 

[Andy_Cole]

Ighalo to have his Agueroooo moment in the FA Cup final.

Heard it here first.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Just why did we not try harder earlier to help us out in the recent games we had without Rashford?

Guessing we were focusing on top targets instead.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

These were crazy choices for strikers. King or Ighalo

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

I'm happy with the business we have concluded. Sensible moves in two areas that were needing addressed.

 

[EasyE]

Really enjoyed that and glad we're expanding our field of vision and not solely focusing on the future, but also the very important present.

Two unwanted fullbacks moved on and replaced with two positions in which we desperately needed reinforcements, one to go straight into the side and instantly be a massive upgrade on what we've been using all season.

All that whilst Spurs and Chelsea fumbled around managing to do absolutely nothing.

Delighted for Ighalo too, he must be in pure wonderland right now.

Spurs managed to sign a very good winger no?

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

Guessing we were focusing on top targets instead.

Yeah I guess ighalo was a last minute target. I guess the Bruno negociations was slow. Hard to know what made it take so long time.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

These were crazy choices for strikers. King or Ighalo

As I say, I'm sure we had top targets that weren't possible in Jan and that we'll approach in the Summer, but glad we stopped being pig-headed and self-righteous about the whole thing and just got a body in, I'm sure he'll be a big help.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Yeah I guess ighalo was a last minute target. I guess the Bruno negociations was slow. Hard to know what made it take so long time.

Bruno seems obvious this time, Sporting were trying to milk it.

 

[charlenefan]

Roundup:

So we did a Maguire with Bruno. A player available for less money last summer (as was Maguire when Jose wanted him). We then proceeded to spend the whole window negotiating, only to end up paying the set price at the end of the window. With Maguire, we could have had him bed in much sooner, with Bruno we could have had him playing for all of January.

We tried to tempt Jude Bellingham to join from Birmingham. Rumoured to have offered 30m for the 16 year old. He didn’t fancy it.

We made an offer for Josh King - Bournemouth fighting relegation - how likely was it that they’d want to sell relatively cheap with no time to replace him?

Ole personally went to speak with Haaland, thinking he’d join us. Goes to Dortmund and scores loads of goals. Granted, if rumours of the deal are to be believed, the player is almost being rented from Raiola and his dad. If Ole tried to get around Raiola, that’s a plus.

We were rumoured to have scoped out a loan move for 20 year old Argentine striker Adolfo Gaich, who has a tiny €13.5m release clause.

Vague rumours around Grealish, Maddison, Cavani, Rakitic.

And we saw Rojo and Young leave, despite Ole saying he wanted to retain the players at the club as the squad was so stretched.

It is clear that our transfer “committee” is atrocious. It is also clear that we do not have a long-term approach in place, where we know our targets. A long-term plan includes more then 2-3 players that are unattainable in January because they are playing in the CL. This “long-termism” seems to be a relatively empty buzzword to buy more time for a club that has little ambition, and perhaps, not the money it once did, having squandered hundreds of millions on inflated fees, wages and managerial sackings.

That being said, we needed a striker and got one in. Mainly it’s good so we won’t destroy Martial and Greenwood.

And we needed a midfielder so we won’t play Matic and Fred until they get even too injured for Ole to play them.

I don’t mind us not spending huge sums in January, but I find it unacceptable that a club of this stature doesn’t seem prepared in the slightest.

I’d give this window a 5/10 given our needs, but I was expecting 0/10.

I was expecting something even just vaguely accurate when someone says they'll do a 'roundup' of events

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Spurs managed to sign a very good winger no?

A winger, not a "very good" one.

I had forgotten actually as they have been desperate for a striker and wanted Ighalo themselves but ended up empty handed.

 

[Fooza]

If we got Bruno and Haaland I'd have said perfect window. Time will tell if this is enough to get top 4.

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

Bruno seems obvious this time, Sporting were trying to milk it.

I guess they failed. Decent cost in the end. Expected higher. I think it ended around 55 and I expected 70-80. Although I might not have the correct fee here.

 

[Art Vandelay]

I'm happier now than I was at the start of the month. It's not perfect, but I think we've done as well as we could have. Rojo and Young won't be starting for us again and Lingard really shouldn't be. We have an option when Martial can't be arsed. We've massively upgraded our attacking midfield. Happier now than a month ago.

 

[Damien]

Well Spurs did buy Bergwijn and secured Lo Celso, so that isn't really absolutely nothing.

But I'm pleased with another two of the deadwood leaving, a fantastic signing addressing our most desperate need in a creative player in Bruno Fernandes. Ighalo has a good goal scoring record and addresses a need for depth in attack, comes with no burden on our budget or squad size in the summer. So a good window for us.

They already had Lo Celso in their squad so far this season and lost Eriksen. Securing Lo Celso's future beyond this season is nice for them but Eriksen and Kane (injury) are big losses and not sure Bergwijn will be enough.

 

[Pablo76]

As I say, I'm sure we had top targets that weren't possible in Jan and that we'll approach in the Summer, but glad we stopped being pig-headed and self-righteous about the whole thing and just got a body in, I'm sure he'll be a big help.

This is what too many fans are missing as the point, he’ll be a big help.

With him and Bruno coming in and as you say, our closest competitors missing out, Utd have triumphed in this window and will secure 4th I’m sure.

Btw mate, credit to you for your posts tonight, you’ve talked a lot of sense.

 

[hobbers]

A short loan for Ighalo is clearly 8000x better than any sort of permanent deal for mega money for would-be deadwood like King. No disrespect to the lad.