We'll be signing him and Sancho, and that'll probably be it I think.
Jack Grealish / signs new 5 year contract
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Grealish would be a great signing. If we move on Lingard, Periera and Mata over the next 12 months, we'll need someone who will replace them in the squad. If Pogba leaves following next season, Grealish is a ready-made replacement who'll have a year experience blending into the team. He'll also be able to cover Rashford, pogba, Bruno and hopefully Sancho. Grealish looks like a player who'll eventually end up in a Scholas or Giggs role in midfield when he gets older. He is brilliant at protecting the balls and moving the ball on; I predict that he'll be bought for no more than £50m.
This is the reason why Utd have fallen short since the Fergie days.
Why do we have to buy players to fit into everyone's strongest 11.
Surely signing Grealish will raise everyone else's game. It's a long season players will lose form and get injured. I've said it before, if Bruno or Pogba can't play, we look average.
I can see all 3 playing against teams who defend deep or when we have to chase the game.
We need to get out of this silly mentality of having a great 11 players and not worry about anything else.
That would do very nicely,my gut feeling is we will only sell one of Lingard/Pereira along with Rojo & Smalling. Hopefully Inter want Sanchez but will have to wait and see.
He’s going to stay there and help them get Champions League.
Imagine if Manchester City approached transfers like that? They would not have won their recent titles. Lets get away from this thinking because no player should be guaranteed a starting place in a top ambitious team. It's why Alex Ferguson had so much success because he always had a squad that competed for a place in the team
Or Villa will put an 80m price tag on him
Can rotate him with Bruno, Rashford or Pogba, he's a very versatile player.
He won't live into the 22nd Century though
We will need rotation, you're right. We can't afford a drop in quality if one of those is out for a period
Grealish wouldn't be coming here just to sit on the bench. He would basically start every match that one of Rashford or Bruno (and to some extent Pogba) are injured. He would start every match where one of them are rested. He would regularly start when he is performing better than them (something that could quite likely happen a number of times over the season). There could also be the odd game he would play instead of Sancho (who we'll hopefully sign) or Martial (with Rashford moving up front), although I would expect Greenwood to be ahead of him in both those positions. Overall I'd expect him to start at least 30 games a season, and he'd come off the bench almost every match he doesn't start.
I would. While in a perfect world I'd also be looking at a centreback and a defensive midfielder, the thing about Sancho and Grealish is that they are both almost certain successes. It is very unlikely either of them fail, and since they are both quite young it means we have filled two positions for many years to come.
It's something that I feel we did under Fergie a fair bit. Players (especially in their early 20's) who were playing for mid-to-low table teams but were obviously ready for the step up, and Fergie would swoop in and give them that opportunity.
Keane, Yorke, Cole, Saha, Rooney, Smith, VDS, Tevez, Valencia, Young. All fit the category to some extent. Tevez is perhaps the only one who truly fits the 'big fish in a small pond' as much as Grealish does, but it's the kind of thing that should work more often than not.
I bet that Grealish would play many more games if he comes here than he did at Villa.
As long as it doesn't impact the Sancho signing then I'm all for this. He's become a very good player, attitude on the pitch seems to be excellent and would really improve our depth.
With our extended run & participation in more competitions?
It is not a done deal,
I have read reports that we have agreed a 5yr deal in principle with Sancho and Grealish is a done deal today.
I cannot blame journos for trying to get any piece of bull about Manchester United out there as it is money for them but the fans have to wise up and read between the lines.
I'm aware of that. I'm not questioning whether we need him because we do. I'm questioning whether we can get him. Because it makes no sense to spend 40m on a rotational player in Covid. If we can get him for less then fine but 40m is the fee being thrown out there and that's too much for a rotational player even pre Covid. I'm also questioning why he would come here to be a rotational option with how his character has been described.
I think if we get him it means either we are not getting Sancho or we are preparing for Pogba's possible departure. Or both. I'd be surprised if it weren't the case and happy of course
we spent £50m+ on Fred and he was a ‘rotational’ player.
He obviously wasn't intended to be. Mourinho even said he would help unlock Pogba but he came in and flopped . People were complaining about us spending 50m on a player that is on the bench. Tell me players that are in their prime that have been gotten for 40m + to be a rotational player pre covid
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I don’t think it’s a case of thinking of Grealish as rotation but more competition for Rashford et al, and if Grealish is outperforming you tough luck the bench it is.
Which is exactly the level our club should be aiming for. Bruno, Rashford, whoever you’re there are no guarantees you are on the team because there is quality in the side.
Grealish will get absolutely loads of minutes, especially if we get rid of Lingard and Perreira, no doubt about that.
Football is a squad game these days, you need to have that strength and depth.
Which is exactly the level our club should be aiming for. Bruno, Rashford, whoever you’re there are no guarantees you are on the team because there is quality in the side.
Grealish will get absolutely loads of minutes, especially if we get rid of Lingard and Perreira, no doubt about that.
Football is a squad game these days, you need to have that strength and depth.
Yeah that is my one main concern as well,needs someone reliable to come out and say they are seperate deals but doubt that happens.
Interesting that on a Villa forum they reckon Sancho means no Grealish and he is City bound instead.
He could be a very good addition to the squad. However, the priority should be Sancho and a matic replacement. We did well with only Bruno in there. We already have Mctominay and Fred. For me, the first xi should be the priority especially when our budget is not unlimited like city.
I like this positive post from the OP. To win the league you need:
1. A big squad
2.Consistency in play
3.Less injuries
4.Players with the right mentality
How does our squad address the 4 above today?
1. The squad is big enough but needs updating with quality and fit to play footballers - my suggestion is sign a central defender, Sancho, Grealish and a top centre forward who can guarantee goals. Harry Kane would be my choice. Sell the others not needed.
2. Martial, Rashford and Pogba would need to be consistent, which is not always the case. Ole has mentioned this recently all they need is competition to keep them on their toes.
3.You have to pray to God for this but having quality replacements ready would address this problem. So yes we can have Pogba, Grealish, Bruno, Fred, McTominnay, Greenwood and Sancho in the same squad to fill in for one another.
4.Players who hate losing and always want to win and improve. Ole has changed this and Bruno is leading this transformation while Greenwood and Maguire also display a quality attitude in the way they apply themselves on the pitch.
So to agree with the OP yes this squad can win the league eve with a few additions.
1. A big squad
2.Consistency in play
3.Less injuries
4.Players with the right mentality
How does our squad address the 4 above today?
1. The squad is big enough but needs updating with quality and fit to play footballers - my suggestion is sign a central defender, Sancho, Grealish and a top centre forward who can guarantee goals. Harry Kane would be my choice. Sell the others not needed.
2. Martial, Rashford and Pogba would need to be consistent, which is not always the case. Ole has mentioned this recently all they need is competition to keep them on their toes.
3.You have to pray to God for this but having quality replacements ready would address this problem. So yes we can have Pogba, Grealish, Bruno, Fred, McTominnay, Greenwood and Sancho in the same squad to fill in for one another.
4.Players who hate losing and always want to win and improve. Ole has changed this and Bruno is leading this transformation while Greenwood and Maguire also display a quality attitude in the way they apply themselves on the pitch.
So to agree with the OP yes this squad can win the league eve with a few additions.
Agree. I like the player and I’m all for adding depth but not at the expense of what we desperately need this summer.
We can’t afford to feck this summer up, it will stagnate our development on the pitch, we have to get Sancho secured before anything else. If we can get Grealish it preferably a top CDM as well then great.
I pray that Ed doesn’t balls this window up, I really do.
disagree. Fred was never bought as a nailed on starter. There’s your example.
if a ‘rotational’ player comes in and plays 35-40 games and pushes others in front of him to be better then I’ve got no issue with that at all.
Liverpool spent £35m on The Ox a couple of seasons ago, he’s a good example.
Was my initial thoughts, but starting to think Grealish ability to play in several positions makes him the priority signing. Sancho will probably fall apart on price.
Yeah agree. You can tell as well that he’s a cocky little fecker and will fancy his chances of playing his way into the team regardless of who’s ahead of him.
I really think he will fancy himself to play more often than not. I suppose all sportsman have to back themselves to the hilt. We shall see.
My gut feeling is that we could bring in a young CB in this window if we sell Rojo & Smalling.
In regards to a striker I am certain that Haaland is top of the list and we will be in for him when that release clause is active.
Yes I agree. We wouldn't even need Grealish if we sign a DM and Sancho since Sancho himself is versatile like Grealish and can come in for Bruno or Rashford when one of them is out. And we now have a solid RW cover in Greenwood who can come in for Sancho when Sancho plays AM or LW. But asides from Matic we don't have a DM that can do what he does
No doubt there is a lack of depth at DM but confident we won't address this until at least next summer,only way it changes is if West Ham go down and Rice is available at good price. I am surprised we aren't interested in Partey but obviously Utd aren't convinced.
I was gutted when Haaland joined Dortmunnd. I still can't believe Ole his former manager and country man could not convince him to come to us.
Good example with Chamberlain though I disagree that Fred wasn't brought in to be a starter. I've said it before that I'm not questioning whether we need him. It's whether we will actually get him. Spending 40m on a rotational player is rare pre covid and we are now in a covid market. I'm saying I'd be surprised if this deal happens if the quoted price is 40m
Bernardo Silva is a good example maybe. Probably Cesc Fabregas(for Barca)as well.
The thing is that the only reason Grealish should be about 40m is because of Covid and Villa getting relegated. If it weren't for that Villa would be wanting double (which they wouldn't get so they'd price him out of a move - which is exactly what they would want to happen).
He would probably get a similar amount of minutes as what he does at Aston Villa considering how many games we play. Probably slightly less starts, but he'll get 20-30 minutes in most of those other matches. Basically he's in the position he's got two choices. Go to one of us, Chelsea, City or Liverpool and in theory wouldn't be in the strongest 11 but would be close enough he would still play a hell of a lot of games, or go to the next level down like Leicester, Arsenal, Spurs or Wolves where he would likely get more starts but at a club that is unlikely to take the step up to the next level (and are financially strong enough to make it almost impossible for him to leave without running his contract down). Obviously Leicester is sitting in 3rd at the moment but is looking likely to drop out, and looking at the long-term they are likely going to drop off as Vardy ages. I would guess most players would take one of the former over the latter. Of course he could go overseas as well, but as long as one of the top clubs are after him I doubt he will.
Obviously if it's Grealish or Sancho it has to be the latter. But the expectation that most people seem to be working with is that we will sign Sancho and then get one other decently priced player. Maybe we would be better off having that other player be a central defender or defensive midfielder, but off the top of my head I can't think of anybody at that price point that wouldn't be a risky signing.
Ole's position as a United manager was on very shaky grounds back in December. I think that was one of the reasons that caused Haaland to not sign for us.
Completely agree with you. The fact that Sancho is available this summer should be a no brainer. He is good enough to not only improve our attack but also to start for city or Liverpool. If we miss out on him, he will end up at one of these two teams and sort their rw for 10 years. CDM should be the next priority because no one can effectively play the matic role. Plus with a new dm, matic can be rested as well as can play against weaker opposition as cb. I think we will still need a striker and a cb but I expect them to be addressed in the following summer. This is a huge transfer window for us. Recruit carefully and we are back to title challenge within 2 season. Fail to do it and Pogba leaves, we will be back to where we were.
At that time those were players with very high potential so they were investments. There are loads of examples like them - Mendy, De Jong, De Ligt, Martial etc. I'm talking about spending 40m + on players that are in their prime to be rotational players. I think it's rare pre covid and unlikely in the covid market. Chamberlain is a good example but if that's the only one that can be provided then it shows it's a very rare thing to do
Well that be a nice thing to have in the team but he is up against it man. He ain't getting in the team ahead of Pogba because it's Pogba. He is still our best and most creative passer of the ball and I believe his defensive contribution is still better than Grealish. He will need to do an awful lot to play ahead of Bruno and Rashford provide pace which is needed on the counter. He will pick up games here and there but never a consistent position in the team.
I would be more than happy with that!
Sancho is a must have and after that I think the case for a DM is stronger than that of signing Grealish unless of course if the coaching team feel that McTominay can be developed to play the role. Much as I like Grealish and rate him I just think spending +£50m on him and then failing to get Sancho will be a wasted summer or fail to sort out a proper succession plan for the DM role.
I get people who say we need depth and I get that but suppose Bruno is out and we play Lingard/Sancho, obviously we lose something but I don't think it's as disastrous as not having Sancho but having three players competing for the LW spot. It all depends on what we have to spend but I still think we need a RW and DM more than we need Grealish.
Are Villa minted now? I'd assume if they get relegated we'd be able to get him for a lot less that £50m
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