Now that's what I call a January window

Kag

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We also binned off idiots like Young and Rojo. Honestly, we’re making the right moves in the market.
 

Freeney

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Good to see the club not wasting money on a panic move. Let's see how they both performs though. I have my doubts on both.
 
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Jim Beam

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Too many times got burned with our transfers, so will wait until I see them perform, especially Bruno since he plays in such a vital position for the team.
Ighalo was good business imo as he provides another decent option upfront and we would be truly fecked if Martial got injured (Greenwood can't lead the line yet).

Overall, yeah, mostly happy with it atm, but Bruno performances will determine how good the window really was in the end.
 

humdinger

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We made the best of a bad situation. Would have loved bringing in another combative midfielder too as we’re so thin on quality.
 

Di Maria's angel

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We also binned off idiots like Young and Rojo. Honestly, we’re making the right moves in the market.
I actually like this more than when we got rid of Fellaini - who I always believed could be useful. Young and Rojo have been completely useless for a long time so this is good work from Ole.

I've been a little skeptical with our incoming's though. I'm not going to expect too much from them so hopefully, I'll be in for a surprise. One thing for sure is that we have everything in place to finish 4th.
 

Kag

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I actually like this more than when we got rid of Fellaini - who I always believed could be useful. Young and Rojo have been completely useless for a long time so this is good work from Ole.

I've been a little skeptical with our incoming's though. I'm not going to expect too much from them so hopefully, I'll be in for a surprise. One thing for sure is that we have everything in place to finish 4th.
If Pogba was fit then we’d be in fourth; I’m absolutely certain of that. Ifs and buts, granted, but we’ve played all season with Lingard and Pereira at #10: two players that would struggle to stand out in the Championship.

With the addition of Bruno and (hopefully) the return of Pogba, you’d expect creativity to improve. If it doesn’t, I think a lot of the complaining would have more merit.
 

Volumiza

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We also binned off idiots like Young and Rojo. Honestly, we’re making the right moves in the market.
I agree. Everyone wants lots of shiny new players all at once but at least there is some method going on.

Defence was priority as we had Jones and Smalling as starters as Bailly is a perma crock and Lindelof lacked confidence. So we recalled Axel and signed Maguire.

We had Young at RB for heavens sake and Diogo clearly wasn’t ready to step up. AWB arrives, position sorted. Luckily we’ve got Williams coming through who looks like a proper player.

Fred and McT have come on loads in Pogbas absence and Matic has shown he can cover the positions too. Pereira may not be world class but he’s a capable squad player.

So the biggest issue this window was getting Lingard off the team sheet. Bruno is that man. Time will tell how good he will be but I would put my house on him being more productive than Lingard.

We’ve also temporarily plugged the striker gap and I reckon that was a really smart move. We’ve not committed to anything expensive and gives us more time to look at Martial, Rashford and Greenwood.

It’s been a good and sensible window IMO.
 

Dan_F

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We signed a player we could have just signed in the summer, or at least on Jan 1st and a back up striker from China. It’s hardly anything ground breaking. We missed out on our number one striker target too.

Reports are that the Bruno transfer has come out of the next summer transfer spend too. So we’re selling Pogba for sure. Basically meaning we’ve replaced Rashford with a weaker player for six months and replaced Pogba potentially. Squad is just as weak as it was before the window started.
 

Cockney Phil

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Save your breath mate.

You’ve made a valid point but the mindset of this forum is, if you see something different you’re ‘wrong’ - the narrative of this thread was set in the OP.

Anything other than praise/happiness to settle is asking ‘too much’/‘moaning’.

Signing Bruno in the usual end of deadline saga appeases some where as it doesn’t appease others; don’t see why that actually is never discussed with discounting the other side.
It’s always been like this. For example I remember when Jordan and McQueen arrived and everyone immediately thought we would win the league.
We signed Robbo on the pitch and fans took bets to win the league!
I‘ve paid my dues with two STs in the Stretty for 40 years and being a supporter since before 1963 - and long ago learned to never listen to the happy clappy bollox crowd.
Bruno took too long, Haaland was a serious loss, and Ighalo is an act of desperation - simple as that - and for a club our size it smacks of rank ineptitude.
 

w1thout

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A decent window, could have been better but it is what it is.
Excited by the signing of Bruno.

Nevertheless, come the summer, we'll still need a RW, a ST, probably 2 CMs ( if Pogba leaves) and maybe a LB.
I'm not optimistic the club will manage to pull this off, as I think Ole will be gone by then and the cycle will start again.
 

SaintMuppet

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I’m betting the Bruno spend is 50 million less that we will be spending in the summer window. Here’s hoping he is worth it!
 

GazTheLegend

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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.
We also signed Nathan Bishop on deadline too, amazingly

That went under the radar big time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51323090

Very interesting that we now have so many high level or promising goalkeepers stockpiled
 

crossy1686

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If I recall they were stop gaps in already reasonably large Fergie squads.

Ole released forwards in the summer and bought more defenders. We heaped pressure on the existing forwards and bought James. The outcome by January was a side that struggled at home against Burnley and floundered against the Scouses.
Make no mistake Ighalo is not a stop gap, this is a serious gamble to keep up.
I hope for Ole’s sake it comes off but the performances so far show a lightweight young squad seriously close to burn out with increasingly indifferent performances.
It's a 6 month loan, how is this not a stop gap? We've strengthened, our rivals haven't. Must be horrific to be this negative about life on a day to day basis.
 

lex talionis

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Bruno is a great signing. Fills a gaping hole in the squad that's been plaguing us for years.
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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The only thing good about this January was Fernandes. People think Ighalo is an acceptable signing because of his love and eagerness to play for us. Remove that and more people will question our stupidity and slowness in getting a striker since Lukaku left. Ighalo was 100% due to poor planning.

We wanted Haaland this January but failed. We tried for Cavani and he rejected us, Milan didn't want a loan for Piatek, Slimani had failed in the Pl before, Bournemouth didn't let King go, Dilian Yifang didn't let Rondon go too, Mandzukic had already gone to China, Muriqi wasn't for sale, Sociedad didn't want to loan William Jose. We, Tottenham, Chelsea and Barcelona were the top teams looking for a striker. We were the only club out of the bunch that signed one because we decided to sign the only half decent striker made available to us. We got him as a result of poor planning and the loan might turn out to be low risk high reward but it was still as a result of poor planning from the club.
 
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Eric's Seagull

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Great to see us make 2 signings. Towards the end it was looking as if we weren't going to bring anyone in. So I am happy about these signings. Rather have brought Ighalo in than not brought in anybody at all. Hopefully they will help us to qualify for the Champions League. Hopefully Pogba and McTominay back soon to help us as well.
 

devilish

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I give last summer transfer window a 5/10. We started well with James then we went on blowing 130m on 2 decent but hardly spectacular players only to go on dismantling the side. It was still better then Mou's last 2 transfer windows. After all we've seen the club signing the most expensive mistake in its history in January 2018 while in the summer we went on buying an injury prone player and a player Mou didn't even bother playing. There again I can't help thinking that Ole's first transfer window was underwhelming at best

I think our January sales is a solid 6/10. I think that Bruno is a bargain. He's very talented, he can play as an 8 and as a 10 and has the attitude to succeed with us. Players of his stature (ex Maddison) would probably cost double the price and would never be available in January. Ighalo on the other hand does stink of a panic buy. However its a fairly cheap panic buy having been signed on a loan. Also Ighalo is still a valid player whose style fits Ole game. I am glad we didn't sign a former player like Mandzukic who doesn't fit our game and is a former player in all but name. I would have loved if we brought Bellingham now + a RW on the cheap (ex Vignato or Bowen).

With the Euros at our doors I hope that the club will wrap its summer deals early. Id go for a CB, 2 CMs, a RW and a striker
 

choccy77

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The only thing good about this January was Fernandes. People think Ighalo is an acceptable signing because of his love and eagerness to play for us. Remove that and more people will question our stupidity and slowness in getting a striker since Lukaku left. Ighalo was 100% a panic buy due to poor planning.

We wanted Haaland this January but failed. We tried for Cavani and he rejected us, Milan didn't want a loan for Piatek, Slimani had failed in the Pl before, Bournemouth didn't let King go, Dilian Yifang didn't let Rondon go too, Mandzukic had already gone to China, Muriqi wasn't for sale, Sociedad didn't want to loan William Jose. We, Tottenham, Chelsea and Barcelona were the top teams looking for a striker. We were the only club out of the bunch that signed one because we decided to sign the only half decent striker made available to us. It was a panic buy as a result of planning and the loan might turn out to be low risk high reward but it was still as a result of poor planning from the club.

It was a loan, not a "panic buy"
 

Son

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Some of the pro Liverpool media’s assessment of our January transfer window has been an absolute disgrace.

We signed the biggest player available in the window, was second in the Haaland pursuit (probably continue in a year or two), I assume we got the groundwork done for Bellingham and brought in a decent Premier League striker for a few months.

Not exactly a bad effort when most teams sat on their backsides doing nothing.
 

crossy1686

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Save your breath mate.

You’ve made a valid point but the mindset of this forum is, if you see something different you’re ‘wrong’ - the narrative of this thread was set in the OP.

Anything other than praise/happiness to settle is asking ‘too much’/‘moaning’.

Signing Bruno in the usual end of deadline saga appeases some where as it doesn’t appease others; don’t see why that actually is never discussed with discounting the other side.
Do you even know what you're moaning about any more or is it just noise you've grown accustom to making?
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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Do you even know what you're moaning about any more or is it just noise you've grown accustom to making?
*Yawn*

Discuss the point he made or ignore it. His difference of opinion is not moaning. Me seeing he made a point & was litterally hounded within minutes because people don’t agree isn’t either.

Imagine moaning about perceived moaning :lol:

Jog on.
 

crossy1686

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*Yawn*

Discuss the point he made or ignore it. His difference of opinion is not moaning. Me seeing he made a point & was litterally hounded within minutes because people don’t agree isn’t either.

Imagine moaning about perceived moaning :lol:

Jog on.
People are kicking off about not signing Fernandes 10 days before we did, it's about as dull as it gets. It's moaning for the sake of moaning. Just be happy with the fact we've bolstered and our rivals haven't.
 

Son

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Overall a very good window for me. The players we are chasing shows the club has learned at least some lessons from the past 6 years.

I was a big advocate for bringing in Soumaré for example as a long term midfield option yet the club seemingly enquired about Bellingham instead.
4 years younger, cheaper (maybe) and putting in better numbers already in a super competitive league.

We went in for Haaland and understandably backed out the deal if the details are correct to be continued at a later date and if rumours are true our targets are Maddison and Sancho in the summer... Exactly who we should be going after. No Young and Rojo on big wages is a big bonus.

I’m a bit unsure with Ighalo but his scoring record at least shows some promise and no risk to our summer plans. Bruno oozed class on the ball yesterday and kept it simple. The fee wasn’t too massive either as he may become a fan favourite.

The way we pinned Wolves back at times I could get behind. We just may have to wait till next season to fully see our squad start to bare fruit as a collective I feel.

Maybe with a new manager and coaches but that’s a whole different discussion...

Club is moving in the right direction though at this moment, albeit slowly.
 

Bastian

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Sporting president said they rejected Spurs bid
I stand corrected. Was going off on what Castles said on his pod.
Actually - Sporting Lisbon vice-president Francisco Salgado Zenha:

"I realised in the negotiations that Manchester United was convinced that we were going to give in and that for 50 million euros he was doing the deal. Well, they ended up paying 65 million," Zenha said, via Record. "They were wrong and ended up paying what we wanted. We went to get 20 million more than if we had sold four months ago."

So we actually did go back for a player we could have signed for less last summer and actually benefitted from having had one more midfielder. Might have spared us playing Pereira in a midfield two when the injuries mounted up and when we actually had midfielders to select, we could have played Bruno at #10.

I'm not saying it is a bad deal, way too early to judge. But as was rumoured with Maguire, we could have signed Bruno earlier for less and gotten more milage out of him.
 

roonster09

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Actually - Sporting Lisbon vice-president Francisco Salgado Zenha:

"I realised in the negotiations that Manchester United was convinced that we were going to give in and that for 50 million euros he was doing the deal. Well, they ended up paying 65 million," Zenha said, via Record. "They were wrong and ended up paying what we wanted. We went to get 20 million more than if we had sold four months ago."

So we actually did go back for a player we could have signed for less last summer and actually benefitted from having had one more midfielder. Might have spared us playing Pereira in a midfield two when the injuries mounted up and when we actually had midfielders to select, we could have played Bruno at #10.

I'm not saying it is a bad deal, way too early to judge. But as was rumoured with Maguire, we could have signed Bruno earlier for less and gotten more milage out of him.
No, he is saying they would have got 20 million less had they accepted Spurs bid of 45 million in the summer. They didn't bend over for the clause and ended up getting the full money they wanted, that's what he is saying.

These papers are so clueless that they came up with "ManUtd paid over the odds" using that interview when it's very clear that they had no intention of selling him for 45 million and that's why they rejected Spurs bid.

He wasn't available for 45 million in the summer (as their president confirmed) and he wasn't available for 45 million in the winter too.
 

Class of 63

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Actually - Sporting Lisbon vice-president Francisco Salgado Zenha:

"I realised in the negotiations that Manchester United was convinced that we were going to give in and that for 50 million euros he was doing the deal. Well, they ended up paying 65 million," Zenha said, via Record. "They were wrong and ended up paying what we wanted. We went to get 20 million more than if we had sold four months ago."

So we actually did go back for a player we could have signed for less last summer and actually benefitted from having had one more midfielder. Might have spared us playing Pereira in a midfield two when the injuries mounted up and when we actually had midfielders to select, we could have played Bruno at #10.

I'm not saying it is a bad deal, way too early to judge. But as was rumoured with Maguire, we could have signed Bruno earlier for less and gotten more milage out of him.
We didn't want him in the Summer unless Pogba forced his way out but he was blocked, Ole thought given 6 months he'd be able to convince him to stay but probably realised he was wasting his time in November so we went for Fernandes in January, and we'll let Pogba sulk till he fecks off in the Summer, and good riddance.

Bruno will be wasted as a no.10, he's not suited for that position.
 

Dan_F

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It was a loan, not a "panic buy"
The only issue with that line of thinking is that we tried to sign an injured Josh King for 25 million and only went for Ighalo after being told no. We only ended up with a loan, because our panic buy was turned down.
 
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The only issue with that line of thinking is that we tried to sign an injured Josh King for 25 million and only went for Ighalo after being told no. We only ended up with a loan, because our panic buy was turned down.
Weren’t there tonnes of reports afterwards confirming that the King move was also a loan request and not the outright purchase suggested on deadline day?

Panic buy or panic loan, I've no idea what anyone has to complain about. The Norwegian was obviously our top target but he understandably said no, and we were never getting another top target in January. I personally was grateful to see that Ole and the club learned from their Summer mistakes and rather than the houlier than thou strategy of we'll only bring in "the right players", they have quickly scrapped that and realised that in order to take care of the long term, you must also take care of the short term, else you won't be in the job to see it through.

Much better would've just been keeping Lukaku for another season, but hey, they have learnt their lesson.
 
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sunama

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We also binned off idiots like Young and Rojo. Honestly, we’re making the right moves in the market.
I agree that Young had to leave.
But if we are making all the right moves in the market, why the hell are we tumbling down the table?
I mean, the whole point of buying/selling players is to go up the table. Right?
No club should be buying/selling, so that they can drop down the league table.
 

Denis' cuff

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We are selling more than we are buying. No doubt Ole has been told we need to sell before buying. We are quick enough to sell but fecking painfully slow at buying. Ole doesn’t do the buying. He is fed the same bullshit that the rest of us are:

”watch this space” my fecking arse.

if we get 100 m for Pogba, we’ll spend 50m of it because we spent the other 50m on Bruno. Forget the Lukaku money - that went the same way as the Ronaldo money.