Bruno Fernandes Out? | Staying at Man United

[Jim Beam]

I think they will wait to announce anything until the open bus parade through Hong Kong is done , they wont want to dampen the jovial atmosphere of that.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Whitwell is reporting an £80million fee.

 

[hellhunter]

They obviously are, he is there for the player. Thats his job as Roy Keane would say. There is a literal rule that you can't communicate or agree personal terms with a player unless you have permission from the club. Which is why such things have being done in secret.

Nope. They're not talking to the player. That's exactly why it isn't tapping up and the term tapping up doesn't mean anything anymore.

 

[Scandi Red]

Excluding youth transfers and obvious backups (2nd goalkeepers, old defenders etc), I'd say it goes something like this:

- Competently run top clubs: 50% success rate with transfers (1 in 2).

- Average top clubs: 1 in 3 a success.

- Us: 1 in 4 a success (possibly worse).

---

100 million would give us 2 medium-prized players. Even if we suddenly became a competent club last summer, we can at best only expect one player to be a success and he is almost guaranteed to be of lower quality than Bruno.

Of course there is a chance that both transfers are smash hits. These things aren't written in stone. But from realistic football point of view I reckon there is a 10% chance that the sale will pay off. I get that people are getting desperate, but this is not a worthy bet.

 

[Betson]

If money were not an issue at the club he is one of those players that you do not sell no matter what the price offered is. He is our best player and we will be weaker without him, even after we replace him,. He is a player many of his detractors will not realize how important he really was until he is gone.

But it is changing times at Utd and money is def an issue , so there is a realistic chance he goes. But my gut feeling is that he stays , I think RA may put his foot down on this one.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Think a title update may be necessary.

 

[Crimson King]

Selling him isn't exactly going to make us more attractive to potential signings

 

[Crimson King]

Whitwell is reporting an £80million fee.

Not enough

 

[Castia]

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Not enough

I'd agree, £100million works for me but £80million isn't enough.

 

[leontas]

Not sure how I feel about this. We look extremely mediocre without Bruno in the team and he rarely misses games through injury so it's going to be hard to replace him.

On the other hand, he's getting older and might be a good idea to cash in on him now and find a younger replacement.

 

[BetRed]

We do not have the ability to attract the world class or world class potential players to replace what Bruno does.

You sell Bruno for £100m and who do you replace him with?

The only players that are world class CMs that maybe have a move in them for silly money are Barella (who I suspect will go to Real Madrid) and Guimarães who I cannot see leaving CL football for us and it’s debatable if he’s world class.

Beyond that you’re tanking the quality of the side for £100m that I don’t at all believe we will invest well enough for it to be worthwhile. Keep Bruno, invest elsewhere build the overall quality over time don’t give yourself the pressure cooker moment of replacing your best player after your worst season.

My point is you don't replace him.

My point is to invest the money on 2-3 18-23 year olds who are regular starters and up and coming. There's no point selling Bruno to buy similar quality.

Selling him is only good if you can invest in a couple younger, and cheaper options for the future.

 

[Insanity]

My point is you don't replace him.

My point is to invest the money on 2-3 18-23 year olds who are regular starters and up and coming. There's no point selling Bruno to buy similar quality.

Selling him is only good if you can invest in a couple younger, and cheaper options for the future.

+1

 

[Infra-red]

United have squandered £1bn in transfer fees since Sir Alex retired. Fernandes is the only top player we've signed in that entire period. I don't know where the confidence comes from that we won't also squander the £80m fee we receive for him. I mean we spent £153m on Antony and Hojlund for god's sake - the £80m we get for Bruno will be gone in five minutes on one or two players that we'll all be calling "dead wood" within the year.

 

[hellhunter]

+1

But what happens if they fail to push on? Every transfer is a risk of course, but if it doesn't work out, where are we headed?

 

[MaMa given red]

80 million?! No chance we even pick up the phone for that.

From Laurie Whitwell,

The deal, according to people familiar with the matter speaking anonymously to protect relationships, is for four years on €25million a year net, equivalent to triple his current salary, while Al Hilal are said to be prepared to pay United £80m.

 

[Adz_99]

My point is you don't replace him.

My point is to invest the money on 2-3 18-23 year olds who are regular starters and up and coming. There's no point selling Bruno to buy similar quality.

Selling him is only good if you can invest in a couple younger, and cheaper options for the future. hp

Another 2-3 Rasmus Hojlunds? Great.

 

[Widow]

Comments on Roy Keane's concerns about a lack of discipline.

Instantly invalidates Stone's opinion, as far as I'm concerned

I don't think I've ever know Stone to be wrong. He's always late to the party as he 100% checks the information is right before releasing. He's also Uniteds chosen mouthpiece

 

[Scandi Red]

My point is to invest the money on 2-3 18-23 year olds who are regular starters and up and coming. There's no point selling Bruno to buy similar quality.

We already got 9 (?) regular starters who are 24 or younger. We got bags of potential. This is already a young squad.

What we lack is actual quality. Players who are the finished product. Players who can help the young ones grow.

 

[Adz_99]

From Laurie Whitwell,

The deal, according to people familiar with the matter speaking anonymously to protect relationships, is for four years on €25million a year net, equivalent to triple his current salary, while Al Hilal are said to be prepared to pay United £80m.

Ok now I'm convinced this doesn't happen.

£200m for Bruno was too much to turn down. 100m Euros for him to go into early retirement? No chance.

 

[Steve Bruce]

Whitwell is reporting an £80million fee.

It'll be 50m with 10m add ons by lunch time

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

One of my favourite players and it would be sad to see him leave, but also might be a natural time to go separate ways. He'll be 31 next season and we're not looking like being a serious team for a few years. Couldn't blame him for leaving and he's such a dominant player in a team that him leaving would open up more options for other players. Some of those options could be much worse... but at least it gives more flexibility for the small chance of better ones too.

 

[hellhunter]

Ok now I'm convinced this doesn't happen.

£200m for Bruno was too much to turn down. 100m Euros for him to go into early retirement? No chance.

100m net

 

[Alan Partridge]

It will be a very sad day, not only for Manchester United, but football as a whole.

 

[Castia]

Yeah, but we're the furthest thing from Real or City at this time and managed horribly as a club compared to both.

You don't cash in on your only quality player unless you can adequately replace or upgrade. We're not in a position where it's likely we'll be able to do that.

We’d struggle for a 1-1 replacement for Bruno thats a fact but that fee added to the summers budget should allow us to build a decent side with 4 or so quality additions, if the club with its new transfer setup can’t re-invest 300m+ to make us a better side we may as well just give up

 

[Alex99]

My point is you don't replace him.

My point is to invest the money on 2-3 18-23 year olds who are regular starters and up and coming. There's no point selling Bruno to buy similar quality.

Selling him is only good if you can invest in a couple younger, and cheaper options for the future.

So we spend £20-50 million 2--3 younger players, none of which may be ready to immediately step into the first team, and none of which may ever reach the potential we'd hope they have.

Too much of a gamble.

 

[pratyush_utd]

100m net

Do Saudi have any income tax for footballers?

 

[BetRed]

Another 2-3 Rasmus Hojlunds? Great.

That's the part that makes this a tough decision.

I love Bruno but in terms of important trophies at this club, his window is gone.

 

[hellhunter]

People laugh off relegation. Yeah we weren't ever close this season, true enough.

But if we sell Bruno and our replacement strategy doesn't pan out (maybe a big if, but no one can convince me it's not a possibility), and we end up on slightly less points due to it, all it needs is a stronger promoted team than this season to drag us into real trouble.

 

[UnitedSofa]

Comments on Roy Keane's concerns about a lack of discipline.

Instantly invalidates Stone's opinion, as far as I'm concerned

It’s not an opinion piece. He’s reporting the news.

 

[Jim Beam]

Nope. They're not talking to the player. That's exactly why it isn't tapping up and the term tapping up doesn't mean anything anymore.

They are talking to the player.

Tapping up essentially means a club contacting a player or their agent to discuss a potential move before formally contacting the player's current club for permission to negotiate.

It seems to me that club let Bruno decide on this which also looks absolutely fair.

 

[BarstoolProphet]

Would hate to see him go but understand it from both the club's and player's perspective if he moves. He's clearly our best player but whenever we attack these days, is mostly running down the wing, then turn back and play the ball to Bruno and inshallah. Maybe I'm drinking copium here, but perhaps a sale would mean different attacking patterns instead of being overly reliant on Bruno coming up with something.

 

[TheGodsInRed]

Do Saudi have any income tax for footballers?

Tax free if they stay >2 years

 

[Wolfbot]

I think if the club has a strategy regarding transfers and they give Amorim options based on that. It's fair for him to have an opinion. Otherwise you can sack him straight away. I think this strategy is agreed upon before he even got the job. I don't think Amorim wants it any other way. Same for outgoings.

If he was selfish and thinking short-term he would 100% want to keep Bruno, but my feeling is that he sees the bigger picture of things and the much needed rebuild and would, even if it's not optimal short-term, sell Bruno.

If I was Amorim I would probably do the same. Let's say Bruno has another three years left at the top. In those three years with him staying or leaving we will not compete for major trophies (PL & CL). So there's a clear case that you take the money and re-invest. If we get 2-3 decent players with that cash and salary that can help us compete for major trophies 3-5 years from now, you take it.

How is having a couple of decent players more likely to help you win major trophies than keeping your current best player (by a mile) and adding to the squad while he's in it?

You sell a player like that when you are in a position of strength, or he isn't able to offer what he used to. You don't sell your only credible threat for a couple of decent players. We did that with Ronaldo under Ferguson when we were in a much better place and even then that didn't really help the team in the long run.

In my opinion you need that X factor in some of your players to be able to win games. A squad full of decent players wouldn't cut it, we need some legit high quality as well.

I like Cunha, MBuemo etc, but I doubt they're going to do what Fernandes does for us if he goes.

 

[Adz_99]

100m net

Even so. I don't think a player as young and ambitious as Bruno throws his career away for that.

He's got another 3 years on his United contract and then you could easily see him getting another 3 here or somewhere else after that. If the Saudis are still being silly in 2028 he could move there then.

 

[kanobbk]

I genuinely fear for our club and the future if we sell him, even at £100m (which is more accurate to his value). Not a single fibre of my being trusts Wilcox and Berrada to confidently and astutely spend the money wisely, on competent and future proofed replacements.

If we go and purchase Mbeumo for example, I really can't see how that even begins to fix the issue of losing our most (and Europe's most) creative midfielder. If creativity is not replaced with Bruno's potential departure, then strap in, the future will be bleak.

 

[Zlatan 7]

My point is you don't replace him.

My point is to invest the money on 2-3 18-23 year olds who are regular starters and up and coming. There's no point selling Bruno to buy similar quality.

Selling him is only good if you can invest in a couple younger, and cheaper options for the future.

No, no and no. We are in no position to be taking that gamble.

 

[hellhunter]

Even so. I don't think a player as young and ambitious as Bruno throws his career away for that.

He's got another 3 years on his United contract and then you could easily see him getting another 3 here or somewhere else after that. If the Saudis are still being silly in 2028 he could move there then.

I don't disagree, and I can't really see Bruno being the one pushing to leave for Saudi Arabia at this stage of his career

 

[Judas]

80m simply isn't enough. He's our best player. and for better or worse the heartbeat of it.

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

So we spend £20-50 million 2--3 younger players, none of which may be ready to immediately step into the first team, and none of which may ever reach the potential we'd hope they have.

Too much of a gamble.

Might be better off getting 2-3 players in their late 20s and early 30s who are 'proven' to get the club going again first, there are plenty of young players in the squad already and a lot of leadership and experience is departing.